Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
If you full bodied red wines, you’ve likely come across Cabernet Sauvignon. This black variety of grape is late budding and ripening variety. It tends to thrive in warm (but not too hot) climates given it tends to ripen later in the season. And if you love this wine, there have been studies that have shown it make help delay or prevent Alzheimer’s and hypertension.
Thick skinned
One of the most distinctive features of this variety, is its thick skins. This means, wines tend to be full bodied, and rich in tannin. Thicker skinned wines also tend to survive environmental factors a little better. It is also helps resistance to disease. This grape is not the most planted variety in the world for no reason!
Profile
This variety tends to be more consistent than others regardless of terroir. Growers may reduce the number of grapes in order to concentrate flavours, which can affect the resulting wines. A typical profile includes:
- Low to Medium Acidity
- Typically dry in style
- Medium alcohol (or high in warmer climates)
- Full bodied
- High tannins
Typical flavours are of blackcurrant, blackberry, green pepper, mint / eucalyptus, cedar and tobacco. Less ripe versions may lean more towards blueberry flavours. Riper versions may be more ‘jammy’ in fruit flavour. It tends to have dark colours, and high quality wines can age up to 25 year or more. This wine, especially loves oak.
A good lineage and an ability to blend in
This grape variety is actually a crossing of a Cabernet France and Sauvignon Blanc. And, while it makes an excellent varietal wine, it is also blended with other varieties. In Bordeaux it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc to make the ‘Bordeaux blend’. It can also be blended with Syrah / Shiraz, particularly in Australia.
Production
As the worlds most planted variety, it can be found pretty much everywhere! Heavy concentrations can be found in France, Chile, the United States, Australia, Spain and even China. Good value wines can be found from Chile, which tend to be full bodied, riper examples. These wines will almost always benefit from a period of decanting before drinking.
So if you’re looking for something powerful and bold, Cabernet Sauvignon may well be a good starting point. If you’re struggling with the astringent tannins you may want to try pairing this with food. A good steak and something with a degree of fat/grease will help cut through the tannins. Or, if you want something a little more rounded, maybe a Bordeaux blend or Australian blend with Shiraz might work well for you. However you like your Cab Sav, why not drop me a line and let me know? In the meantime, keep exploring this beautiful planet we live on, one glass at a time!