WTN: 2012 Vieni Estates Briganti (Ontario VQA)

I was delighted to recently find this wine on general list in the LCBO. Vieni Estates' Briganti is a three-way blend of Foch, Baco and De Chaunac—at one time, three of the most common red hybrid grapes in Ontario.

You just don't see much innovation in this category of wine anymore. Up to the turn of the millennium, there were quite a few very good varietal Fochs, and even a few varietal De Chaunacs. This release seems to represent something of a rebirth for the genre, and I couldn't be happier. Having tried Vieni's excellent Foch Vintage Reserve last month, I was excited to see this release from the same winery.

The wine is bottled in a smart, screw-top bottle. It pours with a saturated, deep garnet colour that fades to a cherry-garnet hue at the meniscus. Baco Noir seems to lead on the nose, with briny, plummy fruit and some complex rootsy notes that are typical of many wines with V. riparia lineage. On the palate, there is brisk, clean acidity and very good texture; the wine is dry and cleansing. On the mid-palate, I seem to get more of the Foch notes, but in general, no single grape dominates. The finish is dry and clean—this is a wine made for the dinner table. It is well balanced at 12.0% alc./vol.

For stylistic comparison to other wines—think of a brisk northern Italian red like Barbera.

My food pairings would be lasagna, ribs, and pizza. The wine has the acidity and heft to invigorate and refresh the palate.

My only suggestion would be to give this wine some time in oak: even just 6-8 months in American (or Canadian!) oak would be sufficient. Aged this way, it would be very reminiscent of the excellent Harrow Estates Baco that Carlo Negri used to make in the late 1990s.

This Vieni Estates Briganti is a very welcome addition to Ontario's winescape. It is $12.95 on general list in the Ontario VQA section of the LCBO.

Sounds like something I should check out. I still have a few bottles of a hybrid blend I made in 2011: 35% Baco; 25% Foch; 25% Vidal and 15% Chambourcin. I was hoping to share a bottle with you, but our paths haven't crossed in quite a while.

Hey Howie,

It's a good wine, and I'm delighted to see new ones coming out in this genre. The only thing I would say is that 6-8 months, even just using oak chips, would make it even better.

Hey Howie,
It's a good wine, and I'm delighted to see new ones coming out in this genre. The only thing I would say is that 6-8 months, even just using oak chips, would make it even better.

Mine spent 13 months in a 1 year old Hungarian oak barrel.

Darn! Should have tried it when we were there for the Foch (that they were out of).

I like the name of the wine BRIGANTI RED in Italian this would translate to "Red Thief"

Salute

Hi Victor,

Here's the story of the wine's name, from the back label:

Today the vinification of hybrids such as Baco and Foch remain forbidden in Europe and yet in Canada these grapes thrive, and so we too prefer to play outside the rules, taking the best of old world and current wine cultures to create a collection of perfectly blended wines. Briganti was the goddess of the largest Celtic tribe in the north of England - the Brigantii. They constantly challenged Roman rule, and armed conflict frequently erupted when the confines of Pax Romana became unbearable. This defiance of convention echoes through the ages and the name "brigand" still describes one who plays outside the rules.

http://www.vieni.ca/product/2012-Briganti-Red