10 Things You May Not Know About Cabernet Sauvignon

• Posted on 23 August 2017
• Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, wine
• 0

August 31st is International Cabernet Day (it’s always the Thursday before Labor Day). In honor of this event, we’ve pulled together a list of 10 things you may not know about Cabernet Sauvignon.

• You may know that Cabernet originated in France, but you may not know that it is the child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet grows in California, Australia, and South America, but you may not know that it also grows in the Gobi Desert in China.
  
  
• You may have seen, in the movie Bottle Shock, the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won for white wine in the “Judgment of Paris” wine competition in 1976, but you may not know the Stags Leap Cabernet won for red wine.
  
  
• You may know that Sangiovese is the primary red grape in most red wine produced in the Italy’s Tuscany region, but you may not know that the term “Super Tuscan” applies to red wines from Tuscany that include non-indigenous grapes like Cabernet (or Merlot or Cabernet Franc or Syrah).
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet is used in Bordeaux blends, especially Left Bank varieties, but you may not know that it is only the second most grown grape in Bordeaux behind Merlot.
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet produces a robust, dry red wine, but you may not know that it is also used in sweet style roses from the Loire Valley of France.
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet from Napa can be expensive, but you may not know that the most expensive bottle ever sold was a 6-liter Screaming Eagle 1992.  It sold for $500,000.  The proceeds went to charity.
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet pairs well with steaks, burgers, dark chocolate, and blue cheese, but you may not know that it pairs well with vegetable and vegetarian dishes.
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet is called the “King of grapes”, but you may not know that it is only about 600 years old (relatively young for a major wine making grape). 
  
  
• You may know that Cabernet is widely planted across California, but you may not know that it was likely brought to California in the 1860s by Agoston Haraszthy.