Under the Influence of Cabernet Sauvignon
If you can't come to the winelands at the moment, why can't the winelands come to you? We continue our home wine guides, so you can pair your favourite Cabernet Sauvignon with some home wine edutainment.
Cabernet Sauvignon, also known as the King of Grapes, is grown all over the world. It originates in the famous Bordeaux wine region in France along the banks of the Gironde River.
Some of the most beautiful and expensive red wines in the world come from this winemaking region and those grown along the left bank of the Gironde river are typically dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon if they are red blends.
Image courtesy of winefolly.com
It is now grown in America, Chile, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, in fact all over the wine producing world! It has become renowned for producing wines of powerful intensity, with lashings of dark fruit.
The reason why Cabernet Sauvignon is categorised as Full Bodied & Powerful on our Flavour Map lies in the structure of the grape. The Cabernet Sauvignon grape has a very thick skin, an extremely large pip inside the grape, and a small amount of pulp in ratio to the rest of the grape. Therefore the ratio of the skin to the juice is quite high. This means that the wine has a lot more intensity of flavour, tannins and can therefore ages very well. Cabernet Sauvignon also pairs perfectly with new French oak as the strength of flavour from the oak is perfectly balanced with the strength of flavour from the fruit. Let's explore some more about the Cabernet Sauvignon flavour profile and when to enjoy and suggest it to your Guests:
Here is a short Masterclass about the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, presented by one of our favourite Cabernet Sauvignon producers in South Africa - Stark-Condé (and winemaker Jose Condé).
Finally, you can't mention Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa without mentioning the Stellenbosch wine region. It is undoubtably the leading Cabernet Sauvignon producing region in South Africa. Our Napa valley, or Bordeaux, if you will. Here we explore a little ward in Stellenbosch, called the Jonkershoek, which we absolutely love for the Cabernet Sauvignon it grows.