Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country. This wonderful grape origin in France and Scientificname: Vitis vinifera 'Cabernet Sauvignon'. This wine is big and bold with tastes of Black Currant, Blackberry, Pencil Lead, Tobacco, Mint. The highest-quality wines all have intense flavor (and a high level of color extraction) but all the components in the wine are perfectly balanced with one another.

In 1997, researchers at UC Davis (Carole Meredith and John Bowers) shocked the world. They discovered Cabernet Sauvignon was a child of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

The French did not think California Cab’s could stand up to their Cab’s. The area became known for Cabernet when in 1976, an English wine merchant held a blind-tasting featuring French and Californian wines with France’s top wine critics. Later dubbed “The Judgement of Paris,” the Californian wines won, proving that great wine could be made outside of France! Napa Valley brought California to the next level for the wine industry. California is number one for sales to the United States of America, Nape Valley number one for Cabernet Sauvignon sales.

“Judgement of Paris,” the tasting results showed that American Cabernet wines could stand toe-to-toe with the most important Bordeaux wines of the time. Then, a decade later, the well-known Bordeaux wine critic, Robert Parker, awarded the 1985 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon a perfect 100-point score. Wow I would love to get a hold of one and see what a 100-point scored wine would taste like!

A vigorous variety (another characteristic in its favor), Cabernet Sauvignon produces a dense leaf canopy and relatively high grape yields, giving wine producers a fairly open choice between quantity and quality. Careful vineyard management is essential, however, to coax the best out of the fruit.

As a late-flowering and late-ripening variety, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes mature slowly. This can also work for or against wine quality; in a cold season or climate there is a risk of the grapes failing to ripen fully, while in most other conditions the steady rate of progress offers producers a wider choice of harvest dates.

Food matches for Cabernet Sauvignon include:

• Fillet steak with foie gras and truffles

• Beef wellington with honey roasted carrots

• Korean-style beef stir fried in garlic, soy and sesame