Alicante Bouschet is a unique hybrid varietal which originated in France. It is actually a hybrid grape that resulted in a cross between Grenache and Petit Bouschet. While perhaps it is uncommon in the US, it is fairly popular in regions of France, Spain as well as Portugal (also known as Garnacha Tintorera) for having thick skins and the rare red pulp. This combination results in dark, inky colored wine with unique aromatics. It's a lovely blender but also a very fun wine on it's own in that naturally has some pretty different characteristics from some of the other grapes we use regularly.