'Fo Winter Reds series: fun facts about cabernet

There are many reasons why cabernet sauvignon (aka the ‘king of grapes’) is one of the most popular grapes, with 290,000 hectares planted globally. Cabernet doesn’t follow trends. It’s serious, age-worthy and consistent. Wine regions globally are synonymous with its unwavering excellence - think Bordeaux, Margaret River, Argentina, Coonawarra…

To celebrate cabernet in its entirety, we thought we’d share 5 fun facts about this royally good grape. Cheers! 

1.The ‘sauvignon’ isn’t there for fun - cab sav is actually an accidental cross-pollination of cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc!

2. Sometimes wines are labeled ‘Cabernets’ because they have cabernet sauvignon AND cabernet franc.

3. Cabernet’s most distinctive flavour (capsicum!) is from a little chemical called pyrazine. Especially prevalent in cabernet from cool climates, because it’s destroyed in grapes by sunlight. 

4. Italian winemakers cottoned onto cabernet’s awesomeness in the 70s, and started blending it into their sangiovese. They rewrote the rulebook for Tuscan wines, and the SUPERTUSCAN was born.

5. Studies have shown that the resveratrol compound found in cabernet can potentially fight Alzheimer’s. Cheers to that! Who are you again?

Craving a little cabernet, mofo? We have got you covered on that one! Browse cab here.