HOME

Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of red grape that grows in most of the world's wine regions, although it requires a long growing season to ripen properly and gives low yields. Like all noble wine grape varieties, is of the species Vitis vinifera, and genetic studies in the 1990s indicated it is the result of a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

In Spain, it is planted principally in Catalonia, Navarre and Ribera del Duero, although it is being tried out in many other regions.

The particularly thick skin of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape results in wines that can be high in tannin which provides both structure and ageability. This varietal, while frequently aromatic and with an attractive finish, also tends to lack mid-palate richness and so is often blended with lower tannin, but "fleshy" tasting grapes, particularly Merlot and Syrah. As a group, Cabernet Sauvignon wines are generally full-flavored, with a stronger flavor than Merlot for instance, and with a smooth and lingering "finish".

Cabernet Sauvignon has a well defined aroma. In Old World wines, particularly those made in Bordeaux, this is characterised by a smell of violets, blackcurrant, cedar and spice.

New World wines of this grape can often share the aromas of their Old World counterparts, but are more often dominated by aromas of chocolate, ripe jammy berries, oak, pepper and earth. One of the most characteristic aromas of warm-climate examples is cassis (blackcurrant), while cherry and other red berry notes are not uncommon.