Cabernet

Today we will talk about Cabernet, one of the most prestigious grape varieties in the world, which thanks to its character and determination, can boast having generated unique and unrepeatable wines.

Origins

The origins, as often happens in these cases, are uncertain and confused, but the most plausible is the one that may have come to us from Greece, in the limestone and karst area of ​​Epirus. The information is reported once again by Gaius Pliny II, better known as “Pliny the Elder”, in his interesting work “Naturalis Historia”.

Certainly, the “Vallée de la Loire”, in the Médoc region of France, is undoubtedly its homeland, where the extraordinary terroir allows it to grow showing its best qualities.

In reality, with the technological development, it was possible to identify the species, demonstrating (in 1996) the spontaneous hybridization, probably occurred in the 17th century, between the red grape Cabernet Franc and the white grape Sauvignon blanc, which gave birth with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Franc is hardly ever offered in purity, because it manages to amaze with magical combinations combined with Merlot or Syrah, the so-called Bordeaux blend, while Cabernet Sauvignon, on the contrary, manifests its uniqueness also and above all in purity.

Diffusion

To see it in Italy, we had to wait for the beginning of the 19th century in Piedmont, where towards the end of the century it had a great development when it became necessary to replant all the vineyards destroyed by the plague of phylloxera. The highest expression of Cabernet in Italy, recognized all over the world, was with the Super Tuscans such as Sassicaia, Vigorello and Tignanello, just to name a few.

An extraordinary vine that has found favourable situations not only in Tuscany, where it has achieved incredible goals, but throughout the peninsula from Friuli to Sicily and Sardinia, always obtaining remarkable results. Cabernet is well distributed throughout the wine world with magnificent realities in California, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and many others, which has allowed it to achieve unparalleled notoriety.

Sensory notes

An intense ruby ​​red wine that over the years fades into garnet, with a complexity of nuances and aromas oriented on the typical red fruit, herbaceous notes, pepper and tomato leaf and spices. Vigorous and persistent, warm, particularly fresh and tannic, with a solid and compact structure and well suited for aging in wood which, by softening it and smoothing out the tannins, sometimes manages to reach incredible levels of quality. It is undoubtedly a wine on which longevity is aimed, certainly to enjoy unique aging evolution.

How to serve

Cabernet definitely knows how to impose his own character which is not at all obvious; therefore, we recommend tasting it with a nice large glass and only after having waited the necessary time after opening to enjoy its aromas, decanting it if necessary, while trying to maintain a service temperature of 18-20 degrees.

Pairings

It is preferred to combine it with foods that can stand up to comparison; therefore, dishes with a good aroma and persistence, with important seasonings: roasted meat, game, truffles and spices.