Cabernet Sauvignon (French:[kabɛʁnɛsoviɲɔ̃]) is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines, where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France and Spain, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, South Africa's Stellenbosch region, Australia's Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s.[1]
However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341,000 hectares (3,410 km2) under vine worldwide.[2]
Despite its prominence in the industry, the grape is a relatively new variety, the product of a chance crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon blanc during the 17th century in southwestern France. Its popularity is often attributed to its ease of cultivation—the grapes have thick skins and the vines are hardy and naturally low yielding, budding late to avoid frost and resistant to viticultural hazards such as rot and insects—and to its consistent presentation of structure and flavours which express the typical character ("typicity") of the variety. Familiarity has helped sell Cabernet Sauvignon wines to consumers, even from unfamiliar wine regions. Its widespread popularity has also contributed to criticism of the grape as a "colonizer" that takes over wine regions at the expense of indigenous grape varieties.[3]
The classic profile of Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be full-bodied wines with high tannins and noticeable acidity that contributes to the wine's aging potential. In cooler climates, Cabernet Sauvignon produces wines with black currant notes that can be accompanied by green bell pepper notes, mint and cedar, which will all become more pronounced as the wine ages. In more moderate climates, the black currant notes are often seen with black cherry and black olive notes, while in very hot climates, the currant flavours can veer towards the over-ripe and "jammy" side. In parts of Australia, particularly the Coonawarra wine region of South Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon wines tend to have characteristic eucalyptus or menthol notes.[4]
^Robinson, J., ed. (2006). The Oxford Companion to Wine (Third ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 119–121. ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
^"Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties" (PDF). oiv.int. International Organisation of Vine and Wine. 28 February 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-01. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
^Clarke, Oz (2001). Encyclopedia of Grapes. Harcourt Books. pp. 47–56. ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
^Wine & Spirits Education Trust "Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality" pgs 6-9, Second Revised Edition (2012), London, ISBN 9781905819157
and 26 Related for: Cabernet Sauvignon information
CabernetSauvignon (French: [kabɛʁnɛ soviɲɔ̃]) is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major...
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with CabernetSauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux...
the sterner, later-ripening CabernetSauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin. Along with CabernetSauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot...
the region. In the mid-19th century, French wine varieties such as CabernetSauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, and Franc were introduced. During the early 1980s...
generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are CabernetSauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère. Today Carménère...
Look up cabernet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Cabernet can refer to several different things: CabernetSauvignon, a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and...
the 1-acre (4,000 m2), approximately 80 vines of CabernetSauvignon. For this one acre of Cabernet, Philips sought the opinions of Robert Mondavi Winery...
Cabernet Franc to parent the CabernetSauvignon vine in Bordeaux. In the 19th century, plantings in Bordeaux were often interspersed with Sauvignon vert...
boutique winery in Oakville, California, specializing in premium CabernetSauvignon wines. PlumpJack was the first winery in Napa Valley to use screwcaps...
made predominantly from Grolleau, and Cabernet d'Anjou which is usually made from Cabernet Franc or CabernetSauvignon. For most of its history, dry red wines...
Cabernet blanc is a white German and Swiss wine grape variety that is a crossing of the French wine grape CabernetSauvignon and Regent. The grape was...
Ruby Cabernet is a red Olmo grape variety that is a cross between CabernetSauvignon and Carignan. It can produce wines with good colour and a pleasant...
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in CabernetSauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations...
blended. The permissible grape varieties in red Bordeaux are: CabernetSauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. While wine making styles...
name containing CabernetSauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Although the initial blend did not yet contain any CabernetSauvignon or Cabernet Franc, no white...
Sauvignon gris – a pink wine grape CabernetSauvignon – a red wine grape This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Sauvignon....
Much icewine is made from the grapes Riesling, Vidal, Cabernet Franc and CabernetSauvignon, but there is also icewine made from Shiraz, Merlot, Sangiovese...
boutique winery in Snohomish, Washington specializing in premium CabernetSauvignon wine. The winery is named for a nearby creek in Snohomish County....
such as with Merlot and CabernetSauvignon to create the red French Bordeaux claret blend. The grape is blended with Cabernet Franc and Gamay in some...
made cabernetsauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot noir". It is much less tolerant of harsh vineyard conditions than the likes of CabernetSauvignon, Syrah...
originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rocchetta using CabernetSauvignon vines and for years only used for family consumption. A story about...
Tuscan" wines like Tignanello, a blend of 80% Sangiovese 15% CabernetSauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc or 'Colore' Bibi Graetz made with 100% Sangiovese from...
flexibility to experiment with blending French grape varieties such as CabernetSauvignon and Merlot or to not be required to blend in any white grape varieties...
that are supposed to be Cabernet-styled. Becker created Cabernet Cortis by crossing CabernetSauvignon and Solaris. Thus, Cabernet Cortis is a hybrid grape...
enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard CabernetSauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino". The estate...
blanc and Zähringer, but was originally thought to be a cross between CabernetSauvignon and Bronner. Souvignier gris was developed in 1983 at the viticultural...