Bacchus is a white wine grape created by viticulturalist Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate in 1933. He crossed a Silvaner x Riesling cross with Müller-Thurgau.
Bacchus received varietal protection and was released for general cultivation in 1972. The colder climate in England means that grapes retain a higher acidity and yields are lower, giving varietal wines of (potentially) high quality, somewhat in a Sauvignon blanc-like style:
German plantations peaked in the 1990 at around of which more than half were in Rheinhessen, where it was popular to use in QbA blends. In 2006 there were of Bacchus left in Germany, 2.1% of the total vineyard surface.
Cultivation
Bacchus does particularly well in the UK climate and is now considered the 'poster grape' for the UK wine industry. It is now also the 3rd most planted grape in the UK after Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Recognition
In 2017 the Decanter World Wine Awards declared that a Bacchus wine from Winbirri Vineyard, Norfolk was awarded a platinum best in show award
Synonyms
Synonyms for the Bacchus variety include Bacchus Weiss, Weisser Bacchus, Frühe Scheurebe, Geilweilerhof 33-29-133 and Gf. 33-29-133. while Bacchus noir refers to another cross involving Poulsard.