Two more waypoints on the search for good red hybrids

We opened two red hybrids yesterday, as part of the mostly-elusive search for wines from red hybrid winegrapes that are as good as the best white hybrids.

These were both by Bully Hill, from the Finger Lakes in New York:

1. Marechal Foch: Nice cherry nose; no initial off flavors (which is extremely rare with Foch); not herbaceous; nice on the palate; body is too light; on the very back end, a bitter note. Hollow and one-dimensional. It did not improve with time. I'd score it about a 78. The bouquet is there but the mouth is disappointing.

UPDATE, after re-tasting a few days later (BTW: I keep opened reds, unpumped, in the refrigerator, where the low temps prevent oxidation; when you want another glass, just zap it for about :12 seconds in the microwave; don't laugh; this method is the best, easiest, and does not adversely affect the wine). This wine is better now. Still a one-chapter novel, but nice. Maybe it would score about 82. Nothing wrong with it, though it's straight-forward.

I still don't have a compelling reason to plant M.Foch, but perhaps I am now more tempted. This was far better than most Foches I've had, which stink with herbaceousness. Many growers insist that if you treat red hybrids like vinifera (prune to VSP, leaf pull, drop crop, hang for maximum ripeness) you can get vinifera-worthy wines from them. The jury is still out on that, for me, with Foch, but I am a believer in that line of logic.

2. Baco noir: Pleasant muted nose of leather and dark fruit, with some pepper. Simple palate--dark fruits and pepper, with medium body. Well-balanced. A short, acidic finish. Better than the Foch. But it didn't improve once opened--upon further drinking, it was just OK. I score it 81 points. Hate to say this, but it would benefit from a 50% blend with a good red vinifera grape.

Kudos to Bully Hill!

I will be planting this grape--supposedly if you treat it like vinifera, oak the hell out of it and lay it down for five years, it mimics a good cab pretty well. Fingers crossed.

Background: Hybrid winegrapes are crosses between vinifera and disease-resistant, early-ripening native US grapes. To my palate some of them have clearly proved their worth (Cayuga, Melody, Traminette)--their ability to match the best vinifera seems well-established to me. Like any grape, it takes time to figure out where it best grows and how best to vintify it. The effort needs our patience, but it is so green that its future is indisputably bright.