The red grape variety is an interspecific new variety between Piquepoul du Gers (Folle Blanche) x Riparia Grand Glabre (presumably the paternal seed was a pollen mixture). Synonyms are 24-23 Baco, Baco 1, Baco 1-24, Baco 24-23; Bacoi, Baco Negru, Bacoi, Bago, Bako Noar, Bako Noir, Bakon, Bako Sieiski, Bako Speiskii, E x A Wolfschlugen and Frybert. Genes from Vitis riparia and Vitis vinifera are included. The hybrid was crossed in 1902 by the French breeder François Baco (1865-1947) in Bélus (Southwest France). The variety was a crossing partner of the three new varieties GR 7, Olivar and Totmur. It is also used as table grape and as a rootstock vine.
The early-maturing vine is resistant to both powdery mildews, but susceptible to black rot. It produces colourful, acidic red wines that do not show any foxtone. Baco Noir used to be widespread in France, especially in Burgundy. Due to the EU ban on hybrids, the population shrank extremely; the area under cultivation is now only 5 hectares. In Switzerland, it is cultivated on 1.2 hectares. In the 1940s, the variety was brought to Canada by the French winegrowing pioneer Adhémar de Chaunac (*1896), where it occupies 704 hectares. In 1951, it was introduced to the USA, where it is grown on a total of 25 hectares in the states of Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In 2016, a total of 735 hectares of vineyards were designated (Kym Anderson statistics).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
