🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a dark-skinned wine grape from Bordeaux in France and the most widely planted wine grape in the world. According to the OIV, in 2015 it covered 341 thousand ha, or 4% of all vineyards; only the table grape Kyoho occupied a larger area.

The variety arose from a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, as confirmed both by the OIV and by the VIVC catalogue on the basis of DNA markers. It buds late and takes a long time to ripen. The berries are small, the bunches compact, and yields range from 2 to 14 t/ha depending on the vigour of the vine. It is susceptible to trunk diseases (esca, eutypa dieback) and to powdery mildew.

Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world: most of all in China (60 thousand ha), France (48 thousand ha) and Chile, where it covers about a fifth of the vineyards, as well as in the USA, Australia, Spain, Argentina, Italy and South Africa. The Bordeaux blend — Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot — was taken up by New World winemakers.

Its wines are deep in colour, firmly structured and rich in tannins. Typical notes include violet and, if the grapes were picked early, green bell pepper, which comes from pyrazines. The wine ages well: over the years the herbaceous notes fade and deeper aromas emerge. Because of its astringency it is often blended with other varieties.

Why it matters to you. “Cabernet Sauvignon” on the label of an EU wine means at least 85% of this variety. If two varieties are named, for example Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the wine has to be made from them alone, and the variety with the larger share comes first. These wines are served at 15–18 °C.