A Tour of Wine Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon 🍷

Photo by Christophe Eyquem, Wikimedia Commons

Widely considered the “King of Red Wines,” Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most widely planted and renowned red wine grape. It originated in 17th-century France as a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It is considered the foundation for wine blends in the Bordeaux region of France.

Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown around the world including France, U.S., Chile, Australia, Italy, Spain, China, South Africa and Argentina.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine grape known for producing full-bodied, rich, and flavorful wines. It’s been called the “rockstar” of the wine world—it’s bold, versatile, and often takes the lead role in wine lists around the globe.

The high tannin content and acidity make Cabernet Sauvignon particularly well-suited for aging.

Wines produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape have aromas that include red (Cherry, strawberry) and dark fruits (black cherry, blackberry, black currant, plum and fig), dried fruit (raisins and prunes) and cooked fruits (jam and compotes). In addition to the fruit aromas, there can also be floral notes of rose, violet and lavender. Herbal notes include tomato leaf and green bell pepper. Leather is another common aroma.

Common flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon include black currant, blackberry and plum, leather and tobacco leaf. When aged in oak barrels it can take on flavors of vanilla, black pepper and some smokiness. It can finish with flavors of chocolate.

Depending on the wine, it can evolve over many years, sometimes even decades, in the bottle and properly stored, gaining layers of secondary and tertiary flavors.

Young Cabernet Sauvignon wines should be decanted for 1 hour or more and then served in a red wine glass with a large bowl to capture the aromas, at 60-68 °F.

Behind the Cork™ - Parallelle 45 Red Blend

2023 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Parallèle 45 Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge ($15.99)

Parallèle 45 is named after the earth’s 45th parallel, a famous circle of latitude that marks the midpoint between the equator and the North Pole. It also passes over the cellars of Paul Jaboulet Aîné in France.

Founded in 1834 on the hill of l’Hermitage in Tain l’Hermitage, the Paul Jaboulet Aîné house oversees an exceptional heritage that brings together the most famous terroirs of the northern Rhone valley and produces quintessential great wines.

While Côtes-du-Rhône in France is renowned for their Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre (GSM) blend, Parallèle 45 puts their twist on this by producing their sustainably grown blend of 53% Grenache, 41% Syrah, 3% Marselan and 3% Carignan.

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Parallèle 45 Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge is deep garnet in color with delicate aromas of raspberry and red cherry. On the palate, this is a medium-full bodied wine with red fruit flavors, medium tannin, medium-high acidity. It finishes light with just a hint of sweetness.

This Parallèle 45 is a delightful red blend that that can be enjoyed with light fare. It’s a great wine at a great price making it a super fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Parallèle 45 via Kobrand Wine and Spirits

A Tour of Wine Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc 🍷

Image from Wikimedia Commons (Ursula Brühl, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI),

Cabernet Franc (often referred to as Cab Franc) is a lesser know grape, but it’s actually the parent grape for both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon!

Nearly two-thirds of Cabernet Franc is grown in France, but Italy and the U.S. now have significant plantings.

Most famously, Cabernet Franc is used as the “third grape” in many Bordeaux blends.

While the Cabernet Franc grown in France tends to produce wines with lighter color, lighter body and higher acidity, Italy produces richer fruit flavors. The Sierra Foothills of northern California are producing fruit-forward, almost jammy wines with lower acidity.

Cabernet Franc’s adaptability and aromatic complexity make it both a standalone variety and a great blending component.

Generally, Cabernet Franc is medium-bodied, higher in acidity, and has softer tannins. Flavors attributed to Cabernet Franc include Raspberry, strawberry, red cherry and bell pepper.

The bell pepper notes come from methoxypyrazines in the grapes themselves, which are chemical compounds also found in green peppers. These chemical compounds are extracted from the grape skins during fermentation and maceration.

Serve a Cabernet Franc wine in a red wine glass at 60-68 °F after decanting for 30 minutes.

Behind the Cork™ - Montes Alpha Carmenere

2022 Montes Alpha Carmenère ($24.99)

Montes — officially Viña Montes — was founded in 1987 by four partners with extensive experience in winemaking and viticulture: Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre, and Pedro Grand. Their founding goal was bold and transformative: to craft premium-quality wines at a time when Chile was largely known for high-volume, inexpensive wine production rather than world-class bottles.

Montes didn’t just make great wine — it rewrote the story of Chilean viticulture. By insisting on premium quality, exploring new terroirs, innovating in both vineyard and cellar practices, and maintaining a deeply Chilean identity without reliance on foreign investment, Montes helped elevate the reputation of an entire nation’s wine industry.

This Montes Alpha Carmenère is produced from 90% Carmenère and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that were macerated for 5 days after which selected yeasts were added and fermentation lasted 7-10 days. It then underwent malolactic conversion. Some of the wine was then transferred to French oak barrels where it aged for 12 months while the remaining wine was transferred to concrete tanks.

Montes Alpha Carmenère is deep ruby red in color with delicate aromas of both red and black fruit. On the palate this wine is full-bodied with rich flavors of blackberry, blueberry, fig and plums. Its tannins and acidity are well balanced. This wine finishes spicy with a hint of chocolate from its oak aging.

This 2022 Montes Alpha Carmenère is an excellent example of the wines coming out of Chile. It’s great tasting and a super value. A perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Montes Winery via Kobrand Wine and Spirits

A Tour of Wine Grapes: Barbera

Barbera 🍷

Image by Giorgio Gallesiol on Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Barbera (Bar-BEAR-ah) is thought to have originated in the hills of central Piemonte (“peh-ah-MON-tey”) Italy, where it has been known from the 13th century. That’s significantly earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon that has only been around since the 17th century.

It is Italy’s third most grown grape behind Sangiovese (most notably known as the grape in Chianti) and Nebbiolo. In Italy, it’s known to produce inexpensive table wine that is enjoyed regularly with meals.

In California, the Barbera grape has also been used predominately in the past for production of mass-produced jug wines. So, it's no surprise that Barbera has gotten a bad reputation.

But, that's changed. Regions throughout California are now producing some very nice Barbera wines, especially the Sierra Foothills, Amador County, Shenandoah Valley and El Dorado Counties in northern California.

And, starting in the 1980s the quality of Barbera began to significantly improve in Italy. It started being planted in better sites, yields were limited for quality as opposed to quantity and more attention was given to aging in better barrels. This took Barbera from a common light-bodied wine to something more special with greater flavor and character.

Barbera is typically a medium-bodied wine with lighter tannins and higher acidity. Barbera wines are best known for flavors of sour cherry, blackberry, herbs and black pepper.

It is usually enjoyed young (two to four years after harvest) and should be served in a red wine glass at 60-68 °F.

The lightest versions of Barbera are generally not recommended for cellaring.