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List of Kosher Grapes
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Cabernet
Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized
red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly
every major wine producing country among a diverse
spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley
to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon
became internationally recognized through its
prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often
blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France,
the grape spread across Europe and to the New
World where it found new homes in places like
California's Napa Valley, Australia's Coonawarra
region and Chile's Maipo Valley. For most of the
20th century, it was the world's most widely planted
premium red wine grape until it was surpassed
by Merlot in the 1990s.
Despite its prominence in
the industry, the grape is a relatively new variety,
the product of a chance crossing between Cabernet
franc and Sauvignon blanc during the 17th century
in southwestern France. |
2010 Rogov's Guide to Kosher Wines
The World's 500 Best Kosher Wines |
Its
popularity is often attributed to its ease of cultivation
- the grapes have thick skins and the vines are
hardy and resistant to rot and frost - and to its
consistent presentation of structure and flavours
which express the typical character ("typicity")
of the variety. Familiarity and ease of pronunciation
have helped to sell Cabernet Sauvignon wines to
consumers, even when from unfamiliar wine regions.
Its widespread popularity has also contributed to
criticism of the grape as a "colonizer"
that takes over wine regions at the expense of native
grape varieties.
History and origins
For many years, the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon
was not clearly understood and many myths and conjectures
surrounded it. The word "Sauvignon" is
believed to be derived from the French sauvage meaning
"wild" and to refer to the grape being
a wild Vitis vinifera vine native to France. Until
recently the grape was rumoured to have ancient
origins, perhaps even being the Biturica grape used
to make ancient Roman wine and referenced by Pliny
the Elder. This belief was widely held in the 18th
century, when the grape was also known as Petite
Vidure or Bidure, apparently a corruption of Biturica.
There was also belief that Vidure was a reference
to the hard wood (French vigne dure) of the vine,
with a possible relationship to Carménère which
was once known as Grand Vidure. Other theories were
that the grapevine originated in the Rioja region
of Spain.
While the period when the name Cabernet Sauvignon
became more prevalent over Petite Vidure is not
certain, records indicate that the grape was a popular
Bordeaux planting in the 18th century Médoc region.
The first estates known to have actively grown the
variety (and the likely source of Cabernet vines
for other estates) were Château Mouton and Château
d'Armailhac in the Pauillac.
The grape's true origins were discovered in the
late 1990s with the use of DNA typing at the UC
Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, by
a team lead by Dr. Carole Meredith. The DNA evidence
determined that Cabernet Sauvignon was the offspring
of Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc and was most
likely a chance crossing that occurred in the 17th
century. Prior to this discovery, this origin had
been suspected from the similarity of the grapes'
names and the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon shares
similar aromas with both grapes--such as the black
currant and pencil box aromas of Cabernet franc
and the grassiness of Sauvignon blanc.
Sauvignon blanc
Offspring and White Cabernet
While not as prolific in mutating as Pinot noir
or as widely used in production of offspring, Cabernet
Sauvignon has been linked to other grape varieties.
In 1961, a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache
produced the French wine grape Marselan. In 1977
a vine producing 'bronze' grapes was found in the
vineyards of Cleggett Wines in Australia. They propagated
this mutant, registered it under the name of Malian
and have sold pale red wines under that name. In
1991 one of the Bronze Cabernet vines started producing
white grapes. Cleggett registered this "White
Cabernet" under the name of Shalistin. Compared
to its Cabernet parent, Malian appears to lack anthocyanins
in the subepidermal cells but retains them in the
epidermis, whereas Shalistin has no anthocyanins
in either layer. The team that went on to discover
the VvMYBA1 and VvMYBA2 genes that control grape
colour have suggested that a gene involved in anthocyanin
production has been deleted in the subepidermis
of Malian, and then subepidermal cells invaded the
epidermis to produce Shalistin. It is not unusual
to have these kinds of 'gris' ("gray")
and 'blanc' mutants of 'black' grapes: the Pinot
and Grenache families are examples, although the
'Malian' deletion is bigger than the mutation found
in Pinot blanc.
Viticulture
While Cabernet Sauvignon can grow in a variety of
climates, its suitability as a varietal wine or
as a blend component is strongly influenced by the
warmth of the climate. The vine is one of the last
major grape varieties to bud and ripen (typically
1-2 weeks after Merlot and Cabernet franc) and the
climate of the growing season affects how early
the grapes will be harvested. Many wine regions
in California give the vine an abundance of sunshine
with few problems in ripening fully, which increases
the likelihood of producing varietal Cabernet wines.
In regions like Bordeaux, under the threat of inclement
harvest season weather, Cabernet Sauvignon is often
harvested a little earlier than ideal and is then
blended with other grapes to fill in the gaps. As
global warming has increased the number of warm
vintage years, the possibility of creating varietal
Cabernet in Bordeaux has also increased, making
the decision to blend based more on ideology and
tradition. In some regions, climate will be more
important than soil. In regions that are too cool,
there is a potential for more herbaceous and green
bell pepper flavours from less than ideally ripened
grapes. In regions where the grape is exposed to
excess warmth and over-ripening, there is a propensity
for the wine to develop flavours of cooked or stewed
blackcurrants.
The Cabernet grape variety has thrived in a variety
of vineyard soil types, making the consideration
of soil less of concern particularly for New World
winemakers. In Bordeaux, the soil aspect of terroir
was historically an important consideration in determining
which of the major Bordeaux grape varieties were
planted. While Merlot seemed to thrive in clay and
limestone based soils (such as those of the Right
Bank regions of the Gironde estuary), Cabernet Sauvignon
seemed to perform better in the gravel based soil
of the Médoc region on the Left Bank. The gravel
soils offered the benefit of being well drained
while absorbing and radiating heat to the vines,
aiding ripening. Clay and limestone based soils
are often cooler, allowing less heat to reach the
vines, delaying ripening. In regions where the climate
is warmer, there is more emphasis on soil that is
less fertile, which promotes less vigor in the vine
which can keep yields low. In the Napa Valley wine
regions of Oakville and Rutherford, the soil is
more alluvial and dusty. Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
has been often quoted as giving a sense of terroir
with a taste of "Rutherford dust". In
the South Australian wine region of Coonawarra,
Cabernet Sauvignon has produced vastly different
results from grapes vines planted in the region's
terra rosa soil-so much so that the red soil is
considered the "boundary" of the wine
region, with some controversy from wine growers
with Cabernet Sauvignon planted on red soil.[
In addition to ripeness levels, the harvest yields
can also have a strong influence in the resulting
quality and flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon wine.
The vine itself is prone to vigorous yields, particularly
when planted on the vigorous SO4 rootstock. Excessive
yields can result in less concentrated and flavorful
wine with flavors more on the green or herbaceous
side. In the 1970s, a particular clone of Cabernet
Sauvignon that was engineered to be virus free was
noted for its very high yields-causing many quality
conscious producers to replant their vineyards in
the late 20th century with different clonal varieties.
To reduce yields, producers can plant the vines
on less vigorous rootstock and also practice green
harvesting with aggressive pruning of grape clusters
soon after veraison.
In general, Cabernet Sauvignon has good resistance
to most grape diseases, powdery mildew being the
most noted exception. It is, however, susceptible
to the vine diseases Eutypella scoparia and excoriose.
The "green bell pepper" flavor
There are a couple of noted Cabernet Sauvignon flavors
that are intimately tied to viticultural and climate
influences. The most widely recognized is the herbaceous
or green bell pepper flavor caused by pyrazines,
which are more prevalent in under-ripened grapes.
Pyrazine compounds are present in all Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes and are gradually destroyed by sunlight as
the grape continues to ripen. To the human palate
this compound is detectable in wines with pyrazine
levels as low as 2 nanograms (ng) per liter. At
the time of veraison, when the grapes first start
to fully ripen, there is the equivalent pyrazine
level of 30 ng/l. In cooler climates, it is difficult
to get Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to ripen fully
to the point where pyrazine is not detected. The
green bell flavor is not considered a wine fault
but it may not be desirable to all consumers' tastes.
The California wine region of Monterey was noted
in the late 20th century for its very vegetal Cabernet
Sauvignon with pronounced green pepper flavor, earning
the nickname of "Monterey veggies". In
addition to its cool climate, Monterey is also prone
to being very windy, which can have the effect of
shutting down the grape vines and further inhibiting
ripeness.
Two other well known Cabernet Sauvignon flavors
are mint and eucalyptus. Mint flavors are often
associated with wine regions that are warm enough
to have low pyrazine levels but are still generally
cool, such as Australia's Coonawarra region and
some areas of Washington State. There is some belief
that soil could also be a contributor to the minty
notes, since the flavor also appears in some wines
from the Pauillac region but not from similar climate
of Margaux. Resinous Eucalyptus flavors tend to
appear in regions that are habitats for the eucalyptus
tree, such as California's Napa and Sonoma valleys
and parts of Australia, but there has been no evidence
to conclusively prove a direct link between proximity
of eucalyptus trees and the presence of that flavor
in the wine.
Winemaking
In many aspects, Cabernet Sauvignon can reflect
the desires and personality of the winemaker while
still presenting familiar flavors that express the
typical character of the variety. The most pronounced
effects are from the use of oak during production.
Typically the first winemaking decision is whether
or not to produce a varietal or blended wine. The
"Bordeaux blend" of Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and Cabernet franc, with potentially some
Malbec, Petit Verdot or Carménère, is the classic
example of blended Cabernet Sauvignon, emulated
in the United States with wines produced under the
"Meritage" designation. But Cabernet Sauvignon
can be blended with a variety of grapes such as
Shiraz, Tempranillo and Sangiovese. The decision
to blend is then followed by the decision of when
to do the blending— before, during or after fermentation.
Due to the different fermentation styles of the
grapes, many producers will ferment and age each
grape variety separately and blend the wine shortly
before bottling.
The Cabernet Sauvignon grape itself is very small,
with a thick skin, creating a high 1:12 ratio of
seed (pip) to fruit (pulp). From these elements
the high proportions of phenols and tannins can
have a stark influence on the structure and flavor
of the wine— especially if the must is subjected
to long periods of maceration (skin contact) before
fermentation. In Bordeaux, the maceration period
was traditionally three weeks, which gave the winemaking
staff enough time to close down the estate after
harvest to take a hunting holiday. The results of
these long maceration periods are very tannic and
flavorful wines that require years of aging. Wine
producers that wish to make a wine more approachable
within a couple of years will drastically reduce
the maceration time to as a little as a few days.
Following maceration, the Cabernet must can be fermented
at high temperatures up to 30℃ (86°F). The
temperature of fermentation will play a role in
the result, with deeper colors and more flavor components
being extracted at higher temperatures while more
fruit flavors are maintained at lower temperature.
In Australia there has been experimentation with
carbonic maceration to make softer, fruity Cabernet
Sauvignon wines.
The tannic nature of Cabernet Sauvignon is an important
winemaking consideration. As the must is exposed
to prolonged periods of maceration, more tannins
are extracted from the skin and will be present
in the resulting wine. If winemakers choose not
to shorten the period of maceration, in favor of
maximizing color and flavor concentrations, there
are some methods that they can use to soften tannin
levels. A common methods is oak aging, which exposes
the wine to gradual levels of oxidation that can
mellow the harsh grape tannins as well as introduce
softer "wood tannins". The choice of fining
agents can also reduce tannins with gelatin and
egg whites being positively-charged proteins that
are naturally attracted to the negatively-charged
tannin molecules. These fining agents will bond
with some of the tannins and be removed from the
wine during filtration. One additional method is
micro-oxygenation which mimics some of the gradual
aeration that occurs with barrel aging, with the
limited exposure to oxygen aiding in the polymerization
of the tannins into larger molecules, which are
perceived on the palate as being softer. |
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