Bastardo wine: an overview and popular brands
Bastardo red wine is known as a luxurious, noble drink, with a unique rich taste, intoxicating aroma and deep ruby color.
It owes its amazing taste and name to the Bastardo grape variety, famous for its fragrant and very sweet dark blue berries.
Briefly about the drink
France is considered its homeland, but it was winemakers from Portugal who were among the first to produce wine from this grape variety.
Wine producers from Spain and France also did not remain indifferent to this variety, making drinks from the same raw materials, but under different names.
The Spaniards call it merengue, and the French call it trusso.
The disadvantage of Bastardo grapes was that it was highly susceptible to disease, suffered from temperature extremes and did not tolerate frosts.
All this contributed to the rapid reduction of wineries that produced bastardo wine.
Breeders tried to grow grapes in the Caucasus and Uzbekistan, but the local climate did not suit the fastidious plant at all.
Nevertheless, in the Crimea they successfully coped with this task, where grapes grow successfully. But despite this, Crimean Bastardo wines are not made from purebred grape varieties.
In 1966, a new hybrid Magaratsky was created, obtained by crossing the Georgian Saperavi and the same Bastardo, originally from France.
As a result, the resulting variety turned out to be strikingly successful, new plants gave a good harvest, from which they produced excellent Bastardo.
Popular brands of Bastardo
Bastardo wine can be exclusively red, in terms of sugar content: dry, semi-sweet, dessert. When choosing this drink, many consumers pay attention not only to the taste of the drink, but also to who is its producer.
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Bastardo Massandra (dry red)
Color from ruby to dark ruby.
The aroma is bright, complex, characteristic of the grape variety.
The taste is harmonious, with moderate astringency, enveloping, with hints of chocolate and cream.
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Bastardo Massandra (dessert red).
The wine is aged in oak containers for at least 2 years.
The color of the drink is dark garnet. The bouquet is complex, bright.
The taste is characterized by hints of chocolate and cocoa.
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Bastardo Inkerman (table red)
Has a rich ruby color.
Varietal bouquet is pleasant with tones of cream and chocolate.
The taste of the wine is soft, velvety, medium-long aftertaste with floral and berry notes.
Goes well with meat and barbecue.
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Old Crimea Bastardo (dry red)
Wine of a rich ruby color (Inkerman producer).
Aroma is varietal, rich with hints of red fruits, milk cream.
Soft, refined wine has a fruity taste with a velvety structure and hints of oak.
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Bastardo Koktebel
Velvety wine of thick garnet color.
The aroma is fresh, with characteristic shades of red berries.
The taste is harmonious, soft, with creamy nuances.
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Bastardo Planerske (dry red)
Producer - LLC "Koktebel Vintage Wine Factory".
The aroma of the drink is deep, rich, bright, slightly perfumed, with notes of ripe cherries, sweet jam from black berries, pomegranate, hints of spices.
The taste is bright, juicy, with good balance and medium acidity, with notes of violet, cherry, dogwood, a little chokeberry.
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"Legends of the Bosporus Pontus" Bastardo (red semi-sweet)
The drink has an intense pomegranate color.
The aroma has tones of dark cherries and spices.
The taste is rich, with good balance and pleasant texture, with notes of sweet wild berries and spices.
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ZB Wine Bastardo (red semi-sweet)
Producer: Zolota Balka. The drink has a bright aroma of ripe fruits with hints of prunes, blackberries, and mulberries with tones of spices, nutmeg and dried cherries.
The taste is balanced, enveloping with a delicate berry aftertaste in the form of ripe plum and bitter (dark) chocolate.
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Among foreign producers, Portuguese is especially popular Bastardo Conceito, Bastardo, Douro DOC - red dry wine of cherry-red color (produced by Conceito).
The aroma of the drink is sweetish, rich in nuances of fresh ripe black berries (black currant, blueberry, wild blackberry), flowers (wild violet, peony), spices and undergrowth.
The taste of the wine is smooth, elegant with hints of cherry, cranberry, chocolate and a lingering aftertaste.
Bastardo wines are diverse in gastronomic combination. Dry wines are served with main dishes, they are perfectly combined with barbecue and grilled meat, game, and are suitable for cheese snacks. Sweet and semi-sweet wines are recommended to be served with desserts, pastries, fruits, chocolate.
If you have not tried Bastardo wines yet, do not hesitate to try this sweet pleasure. This wine will definitely not leave you indifferent and will take a worthy place in your home wine bar.
Update: 23.01.2020
Category: Wine and Vermouth