Crisp and aromatic, Bacchus wines come highly recommended, writes Fiona Taylor, of Christopher Piper Wines.

Sidmouth Herald: Bacchus. Picture: unorobus - stock.adobe.comBacchus. Picture: unorobus - stock.adobe.com (Image: ©unorobus - stock.adobe.com)

During English Wine Week, our shop window was covered in traditional bunting and there were bottles bursting out of an old fashioned pannier on a (very heavy looking) rustic green bicycle.

There’s one English white variety that I particularly love, producing crisp and very aromatic wines. This is Bacchus.

Bacchus is, or was, the Roman copy of the Greek God Dionysius, who was the God of grape harvest, agriculture and fertility.

He is generally portrayed holding a bunch of wine grapes with a cup of wine in his hand. As befits his profession, he is normally pictured smiling, also no doubt due to his ‘Bacchanalia’ – wild parties that he held five times a month(!) and for some time banned by the Romans due to his excesses.

We know Bacchus as an example of a quality grape that is now grown in the UK, originating in Germany in the 1930s.

It can be produced as a single variety, seen locally as great duo from Lyme Bay Winery; ‘Sandbar’ is a very fruity dry wine, and ‘Bacchus Block’ which has a more outgoing style with rave reviews:

“This is a real powerhouse of a Bacchus. Intense and powerful citrus, rich green and tangy grapefruit notes. Bold and punchy!” John Mobbs, GreatBritishWine.com

“Fresh bubblegum nose with a whiff of snapped pea pods, and super freshness and precision on the palate. Light and elegant style, with crisp apple zing, soft sweet citrus notes and a pleasing herbal-mineral influence,” Decanter (92 points)

Bacchus can also be blended with other varieties such as the beautiful sounding Madeline Angevine at Sharpham Vineyard as their award-winning Dart Valley Reserve (a long time favourite of mine).

It’s extremely floral and fruity and the addition of the Madeline Angevine gives it an ‘off-dry’ style which makes it the perfect weekend lunchtime wine.

Having tried the three wines mentioned recently for quality control purposes (ahem...), I can thoroughly recommend them and if you haven’t tasted a Bacchus wine before, they’re all, of course, available at Christopher Piper Wines.