Cabernet Sauvignon - A great place to start.



Cabernet Sauvignon, is one of the most well know wine varietals available. In fact this wine junkie got his start tasting Cabernet's, or Cabs for short, while enjoying dinner with friends. So what’s the story behind this starter wine.

Lets start with why I call Cabs a starter wine, it’s quite simple, many people start their wine journey with this easily available wine. Inexpensive Cabernet's from from all over the globe are widely available and pair well with all kinds of foods. Generally a dry wine, Cabs can go from slightly sweet to very dry with a wide range of flavors to tempt your palate. As you start to move up to more expensive Cabs the wines tend to get more complex. Complex wines will have a variety of flavors that start from your first sip and end with what lingers behind after you swallow.

Getting its start in France’s Bordeaux region, Cabernet has proven to be a very hardy plant that is now grown all over the globe. While French Bordeaux Cabernet’s tend to be very full bodied with an earthy flavor, California’s Napa region embraced this grape and has produced wines with a less earthy flavor that has made it very easy for newbie wine lovers to enjoy. You can now easily find Cabernet’s from Europe, America, South America, South Africa, and Australia. 

Like most things with wine making, there are a number of different ways a wine maker, or vintner, can use to influence the final taste of the wine. One of the most popular methods used is to age the wine in oak barrels. The two most popular are American and French oak. American oak tends to add a stronger oak flavor to the wine, where French oak has a more subtle flavor. In addition to adding flavor, the oak aging also tends to help smooth the naturally occurring tannin's. This tends to make the wine less dry and more palatable as Cabernet has high levels of tannins that occur naturally.
Future articles will discuss in more detail what exactly tannins are and better explain other methods that vintners use to influence the outcome of their craft. For now pop open a bottle and start your wine journey with one of the most popular wines available. 

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