Cabernet Sauvignon is almost 600 years old, making it one of the younger grape varieties. Adriana Cartolano explains why it is now the most widely cultivated red wine grape variety in the world and what influence it has had on Italian viticulture.
The oft-told story of the wine that the Romans drank must remain in the drawer when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon. Professor Carole Meredith from the University of California discovered back in 1996 that the grape variety is relatively young, being no more than 600 years old. The scientist, who specialises in grape variety genetics, discovered that Cabernet Sauvignon originated from the spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in France in the 15th century. In other words, at the same time as people were transitioning from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci was working in Florence, Joan of Arc was fighting in the resistance during the Hundred Years' War, the Turks conquered Constantinople, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and Columbus discovered America. It was during this time that Cabernet Sauvignon was born.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), around 48,000 hectares of the 792,000 hectares of vineyards in France are currently planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, mainly in Bordeaux. The most famous wines in the world, such as the Premier Cru Classés from Lafite-Rothschild, Latour and Margaux, have Cabernet Sauvignon as their main grape variety as a common denominator.
Cabernet Sauvignon owes its final breakthrough to phylloxera of all things. In the middle of the 19th century, the pest introduced from North America by merchant ship destroyed large parts of European vineyards. After the grafting of European vines onto American rootstocks that were resistant to phylloxera was discovered to be the solution to all problems, the foundation stone for the success of Cabernet Sauvignon was laid. The grape variety was used on a large scale in France to rebuild the destroyed vineyards.
In Italy, too, Cabernet Sauvignon was used mainly in the north of the country to revitalise ruined vineyards. Nevertheless, it took another hundred years, until the 1970s, for Cabernet Sauvignon to find its vocation in Tuscany: The hour of the Supertuscans had come.
According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), 14,000 hectares are currently planted with Cabernet Sauvignon in Italy. This is a relatively small area compared to the country's total of 720,000 hectares of vineyards. Spain, the largest wine-growing country in the world with 945,000 hectares of vineyards, also has only 20,000 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon. These are astonishing proportions when you consider that Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely cultivated red wine grape variety in the world. Around the globe, Europe accounts for 134,391 hectares (43%) of the total vineyard area and the New World for 176,280 hectares (57%). The USA (mainly California), Chile and Australia have the highest figures: the USA 41,000 hectares, Chile 43,000 hectares and Australia 24,000 hectares.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are resistant to botrytis and drought stress.
Raffaella UsaiThe attractiveness of Cabernet Sauvignon is based on many characteristics: These include its resistance to botrytis and drought stress, as well as the fact that the grape variety provides intense colour and grippy tannins in cuvées. In addition, the berries develop rather late so that harvest losses due to late frosts, which can occur in spring, are minimal. The combination of present tannins, characteristic aromas of blackcurrants, wild berries and green peppers, the nuances added by the typical ageing in wooden barrels and the ability of Cabernet Sauvignon to reflect the respective terroir result in aromatic complexity and multi-dimensionality. Coupled with an extremely high ageing potential, wine lovers all over the world dig deep into their pockets when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon.
China has its sights set on producing great wines of world renown and at a corresponding price. According to the OIV, 60,000 hectares (as of 2017) are planted with the grape variety there. This puts China in first place in the world in terms of Cabernet Sauvignon cultivation, ahead of France. The Chinese are not only the world leaders in the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon: in China itself, the grape variety is ahead of all other wine grapes. Carménère follows a long way behind in second place with 8,000 hectares under cultivation.
The qualities still tend to be unpolished and lack the finesse of Napa Valley, the radiance of Bordeaux or the personality of Bolgheri. It remains to be seen whether China will be able to record a second Judgement of Paris, when in 1976 a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon beat the French Bordeaux blends at the blind tasting in Paris, the winner Stag's Leap was the talk of the town and many in the wine world lost faith as a result.
In Bolgheri, Cabernet Sauvignon plays the leading role.
Raffaella UsaiIn Italy, Cabernet Sauvignon has gone its own way and found the right terroir in Tuscany. From the single vineyard sites of Tignanello and Solaia in the Chianti Classico region, the Marchesi Antinori winery was a pioneer in the early 1970s, creating wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese that made world history as Supertuscans. The winery's sparring partner at the time was the oenologist Giacomo Tachis.
In collaboration with Tenuta San Guido, Tachis also created Sassicaia. A wine that contains at least 80 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Cabernet Franc and for which a separate appellation was created in 1994 with the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC. Another factor contributes to the special character of Sassicaia: All of the vineyards belonging to the DOC are owned by Tenuta San Guido. This means that the winery has a monopoly on this designation of origin.
In Cortina d'Ampezzo this July, tribute was paid to Italian Cabernet Sauvignons from very different origins. As part of the VinoVip 2024 tasting and lecture event, the "Cabernet vs Cabernet" tasting showcased the diverse expressive possibilities of Cabernet Sauvignon on Italian terroir. After all, the variety can be found in the often strict regulations of a total of 162 Italian DOCG, DOC and IGT. Wine lovers therefore have a good chance of finding a Cabernet Sauvignon with a seal of quality from northern to southern Italy. In addition to Toscana IGT, Bolgheri DOC and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, which are renowned for their Supertuscans, prestigious wineries from South Tyrol to Sicily presented the latest vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines.
In Italy, despite the small area under vines, renowned wineries continue to rely on Cabernet Sauvignon for their sophisticated wines. The area under vines has remained the same for many years following a considerable expansion that began over 20 years ago: according to the Italian statistical office Istat, around 8,000 hectares were planted with the grape variety in Italy in 2000, but by 2010 this figure had risen to 13,700 hectares. To date, this area has hardly changed and there are no plans to expand it in the near future. Italy seems to have found its way with the combination of small acreage and often high quality.