Wine Grape Cheat Sheets: Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon—the Soundbyte: Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the world’s most popular and well-known red grape variety.  It is the main grape in the world-famous wines of Bordeaux, and the wine that made the Napa Valley famous.  The beauty of Cabernet is its thick skin, both literally and figuratively.  Literally the grape’s thick skin and small berries give a wine deep color, complex flavors, and hearty tannins.  Figuratively, Cabernet Sauvignon is thick skinned by being resilient to a variety of climates and soils in the vineyard.  Just about every country that has a climate warm enough to consistently ripen red grapes successfully grows Cabernet Sauvignon.

Typical Attributes of a Cabernet Sauvignon-based Wine:

• Dark Ruby Red to purple, opaque, and almost inky in appearance
• Young Cabernet Sauvignon is ripe, powerful, and concentrated.
• Highly tannic
• Complex with layers of interesting flavors and textures
• The high level of tannin in Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines makes them among the most age-worthy of all wines.
• Aged Cabernet takes on grace, finesse, and an earthy, complex bottle bouquet.

Typical Aromas of a Cabernet Sauvignon-based Wine:

• Fruity
  • Blackberry, Blueberry, Ripe Cherry, Black Currant, Cassis, Plum, Prune, Raisin
• Herbal/Vegetative
  • Vanilla, Mint, Eucalyptus, Bay Leaf, Green Bell Pepper, Green Olive, Rosemary, Dried Herb
• Earthy
  • Cedar, Cigar Box, Cigar Smoke, Pencil Lead, Graphite, Tobacco, Wet Dog
• Oak-Derived
  • Oak, Fresh Lumber, Cedar, Chocolate, Cocoa, Smoke

 Where The Best Cabernet Sauvignon is Grown:

• The Bordeaux Region of France
• California and Washington State, the far south of Oregon
• Chile and Argentina
• Australia
• Italy, where it stars in some Super Tuscans, and is used in small amounts in many different wines
• Cabernet grows successfully in many regions throughout the wine making world…it adapts well to a variety of conditions.

Food Affinities – Base Ingredients:

Food Affinities – Bridge Ingredients/Flavor Bridges:

• Currants, Prunes, Raisins (go easy on the sweetness)
• Walnuts, Pecans
• Mushrooms, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Roasted Tomatoes
• Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Black Pepper
• Blue Cheese – but be careful with the bitterness!

The Urban Legend:  The Cabernet Sauvignon/Chocolate Food Pairing:

According to some…Chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon is a match made in Heaven.  For other people, it’s not so great and some people really dislike the pairing! In my Intro to Professional Wine Studies Class, I have my students try out the Cab/Chocolate combination without giving them any hints as to whether they “should” like it or not.  In my 16 years as a wine teacher, I’ve led more than 12,000 students through this exercise, and I estimate that the split is just about 50/50, with women more likely to enjoy the combination than men.

The idea behind the combination is a common flavor or aroma bridge…Cabernet often displays aromas of cocoa or chocolate.

The reason some people do not care for the combination is that sweet food tends to dry out and emphasize the acid/bitter/tannic tastes of a dry red wine.  I personally do not care for it…but all I can really do is suggest you try it for yourself!

Note: When it comes to food pairings, by all means—drink what you like!

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas…