Bacchus is a wine grape deemed worthy by its originator to bear the name of the god of wine. It is an offspring of Clinton which it much resembles in vine and leaf characters but surpasses in quality of fruit and in productiveness. In New York Bacchus has very generally superseded Clinton though neither is extensively grown. It is vigorous, productive, hardy, free from mildew and adapted to a variety of soils; it requires a long season for full maturity and cannot therefore be well grown in northern locations though the seasons in the grape regions of New York are usually sufficiently long. The wine-makers of the State mention it as one of the most desirable grapes for a dark red wine. While it is generally too tart for a dessert grape, yet if left on the vine until frost, as late as it can hang, it becomes a good late table grape. Bacchus is one of the best, if not the best, cultivated types of Riparia, or of the Clinton group of Riparia. Its special points of merit from a broad standpoint are: Resistance to cold, resistance to phylloxera, value for wine-making, freedom from fungi and insects, productiveness, ease of multiplication, and capacity to bear grafts. For the above qualities it offers exceptional opportunities to the plant-breeder. Its most prominent limitations are: Poor quality for table use, inability to withstand dry soils or droughts and non-adaptability to soils containing much lime.
There is no question about the origin of Bacchus. It is a seedling of Clinton which, as mentioned above, it greatly resembles in every character. The variety was originated by J. H. Ricketts of Newburgh, New York, and was first exhibited by him before the American Pomological Society in 1879. It is well known in eastern United States and, as in New York, is highly thought of as a wine grape.
Vine very vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes average in length, numerous, of medium size, rather light to dark brown with some bloom at nodes which are somewhat enlarged and flattened; internodes intermediate in length; diaphragm below average thickness; pith large to medium; shoots nearly glabrous; tendrils continuous, of mean length, bifid.
Leaf-buds open early, of average size, rather short, thick, obtuse to conical. Young leaves faintly tinged with carmine on lower side only, prevailing color pale green with faint carmine tinge. Leaves medium to small, thin; upper surface dark green, glossy, smooth; lower surface dull green, not pubescent; veins indistinct; lobes three in number, terminal lobe acuminate; petiolar sinus medium to shallow, narrow sometimes nearly overlapping; basal sinus lacking; lateral sinus shallow, wide; teeth of average depth and width. Flowers open early, sterile; stamens upright.