All hail the king

Why Cabernet Sauvignon remains one of the world’s most popular grape varieties

The success of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape cannot be overstated. Cabernet’s ability to create high-volume international brands as well as premium examples has made it one of the world’s most widely planted grape varieties. As a result outstanding examples can come from many different winemaking regions.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s natural factors help to identify the style and character of the wines produced. The grape’s smaller berry size and ratio of skin to seed to pulp results in robust wines with high levels of acidity, colour and tannins, which makes for wines that are capable of aging for many years in bottle.

Consumers can expect wines labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon to offer aromas and flavours of dark fruits, such as black berry, black cherry and black currants, with some herbal notes. The savoury character common to Cabernet Sauvignons can be influenced by where the grapes are grown. Chilean Cabernets can have a minty or bay leaf expression, while ones from the southern Okanagan often have a sage element and Australian examples can suggest a eucalyptus/menthol note.

California Cabernets are shifting their focus. There was a time where ripe fruit character was championed and any suggestion of green herbal or vegetal aromas and flavours was seen as a sign of poor winemaking. As a result, there was a sea of super ripe and concentrated (almost port-like) reds with higher alcohols and strong suggestions of oak barrel notes such as cedar or vanilla. Today, California winemakers, particularly in Napa and Sonoma, are embracing the fragrance and elegance that those herbaceous elements can bring to the finished wine and making more interesting wines to my taste.

The strong character of Cabernet Sauvignons has led winemakers in varying parts of the world to blend other varieties, such as Merlot, Syrah or other local grapes, which aren’t always reported on the wine label.

For all of its charms, Cabernet Sauvignon can be lacking. Winemakers often refer to it being a “doughnut wine” with tremendous flavour at first and a long-lasting aftertaste.

The hole in the middle tends to need a softer and more fleshy red wine variety to make for a more seamless and complete wine.

The king of red wine grapes, it seems, needs its court to reign supreme.