Cabernet Sauvignon: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Sémillon – Tămâioasă Românească –
Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
| Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most cultivated varieties in the world The name means ‘wild cabernet’. In French cabernet simply means a varietal of wine, but also carries with it the implication of excellence. The grape was considered to have ancient origins, perhaps the grape that was used to make Roman wine that Pliny the Elder and others described. Others have suggested that the grapevine originated from the Rioja region of Spain. It is a black wine grape variety from Bordeaux. In 1996 DNA analysis by UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Oenology, showed it was the progeny of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Probably by a chance crossing that happened in the 17th century in Bordeaux. The grape’s spiritual home is the Graves and Médoc areas of Bordeaux. Yet, today, its vines are widely distributed, with a total area of 341,000ha, 5% of world vineyards (OIV). In 2016, scientists at UC Davis announced they had drafted the whole genome sequence of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, the first for a commercial wine-producing grape.  Image source: www.palateclub.com Cabernet Sauvignon became a key component of the ‘Super Tuscans’, an unofficial category of Tuscan wines. These were created in the 1970s when Tuscan winemakers experimented by blending local grape Sangiovese with famous Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Italian appellation authority reacted by classifying these as the basic Vino da Tavola or table wine. But the Super Tuscans (Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Tignanello) were clearly better than this suggested. In 1976 the ‘Judgement of Paris’ compared French and Californian wines – a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley won! The most esteemed Cabernet Sauvignon‘s come from Bordeaux in France, Napa Valley in California, and Coonawarra in Australia. |
 Image: www.vintageroots.co.uk Taste/smell: Cabernet Sauvignon‘s is frequently blended with other grape varietals because of its high tannicity and deep colour. It has an aroma of blackcurrants wherever it is grown. It is regularly placed in new oak casks that give it smells of cedar, tobacco and cigar boxes. Often described as tasting of blackcurrants, black cherry and cassis, coffee beans and liquorice, black and green pepper, baking spices and graphite. The Bordeaux blend combines Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. This approach has largely been adopted by New World winemakers. Varieties/Mutations In the 1920s Cabernet Sauvignon was used to fertilise Glera vines (used for Prosecco) and this produced the Incrocio Manzoni grape. In 1961 a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache produced Marselan. In 1972 an Australian agency crossed Cabernet Sauvignon with Spanish Sumoli variety and produced three new varieties – Cienna, Rubienne and Tyrian. In 1983 Cabernet Sauvignon was crossed with German white grape Bronner and created Souvignier gris. In the late 20thc, Cabernet blanc was a cross with an unknown hybrid grape produced in Switzerland. | Description:  Image source: wikimedia commons Cabernet Sauvignon has hardy vines and thick skins. They are low-yielding and late-budding – which avoids frost and resists other viticulture hazards like insects and rot. It is particularly susceptible to grapevine trunk diseases (esca, eutypa, excoriose) and to powdery mildew. This late-budding variety has a long maturity period, and is characterised by small berries in cylindrical-conical-shaped clusters.  Image source: www.plantgrape.fr Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc leaves are very similar. Cabernet Sauvignon has red young leaves with bronze spots, and circular adult leaves, with seven or nine lobes. In cooler climate conditions, vines focus more energy on producing foliage to capture sunlight for photosynthesis, rather than ripening the grapes. This makes canopy management and pruning an important task! |
Cabernet Sauvignon producing countries: Image source: OIV Big Five Producers: (overall 42% of vineyards, 64% of wine production and 41% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Spain: Andalucia, Aragon, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Madrid, Murcia and Valencia. France: Bordeaux, Languedoc, Madiran and Provence. Italy: Calabria. USA: California, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas. Chile: Coquimbo and Maipo Valley. | Next Ten Largest Producers: (with big five, responsible overall for 75% of vineyards, 88% of wine production, 64% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Argentina: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Patagonia, Salta, San Juan, and Tucumán. Australia: NSW, Queensland, South Australia, South-west Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and West Australia. China: Hebei, Ningxia, Shandong, Shanxi and Xinjiang. Germany: Palatinate and Rheinhessen. India: Nashik. New Zealand: Auckland and Hawkes Bay. Portugal: Açores, Alentejo, Lisboa, Setúbal, Tejo and Trás-os-Montes. Romania: Crisana, Danube, Dobruja and Moldova,. South Africa: Cape Winelands, Coastal Region, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Olifants River and Western Cape. Turkey: limited. |
| Others countries growing Cabernet Sauvignon: Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Moldova, North Macedonia, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay | Grape is also known as: Bidure, Bordeaux, Bordo, Bouschet, Bouschet Sauvignon, Breton, Burdeos Tinto, Cabernet Petit, Carbonet, Carmenet, Castet,Kaberne Sovinjon, Lafet, Lafit, Marchoupet, Navarre, Petit Bouschet, Petit Cabernet, Petit Vidure, Sauvignon Rouge, Vaucluse, Veron, Vidure |
Image source: thewinesociety.com/
Cabernet Sauvignon: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Sémillon – Tămâioasă Românească –
Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
