DETHRONING THE KING: THE HISTORY BEHIND CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND THREE BUDGET-FRIENDLY RED WINES YOU CAN TRY INSTEAD
CABERNET IS EXPENSIVE, BUT LET’S TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY…
I’m not hating. Okay I may be hating a little bit. But let me be clear — I do not want to devote this article to talking shit about Cabernet Sauvignon. A lot of people really love the stuff, it’s called “The King Of Grapes” for a reason and there’s no denying that.
That being said, the purpose of Thurstqueen is to introduce people to different wines and wine regions that are affordable and overdeliver on value.
The majority of people already know about Cabernet Sauvignon, and a lot of people order it because it’s the only grape they know. This makes Cabernet Sauvignon one hot commodity. When something is a hot commodity, people can charge more money for it. Facts are facts.
I typically find that due to demand, Cabernet Sauvignon is often overpriced for the quality. I’ve tasted a lot of Cabernets at varying price points, and it is very hard for me to find ones that are in the under $30 range that I really love. (And honestly, I’m not too impressed by the expensive ones either.)
For all my Cabernet-loving friends out there — I see you, I do not want to alienate you. I will talk more about Cabernet Sauvignon, but I’ll be extremely selective with the ones I choose to promote.
A QUICK PSA ON CABERNET
Another thing that irks me about Cabernet Sauvignon is there’s always that one person who says, “I only drink Cab,” and refuses to drink anything else.
If this is you, let me say one thing — YOU ARE MISSING OUT! Drinking different types of wine and different varietals allows you to experience other places and try something new.
What drew me to wine is that it’s essentially travel in a glass. If I take a sip of a really good glass of Châteauneuf du Pape for example, I’m immediately transported to the Southern Rhône. The same goes for a glass of an otherworldly Negrette from Fronton or a killer Garnacha Blanca from Terra Alta in Spain. I’m just taken there. Maybe that’s what got me so into wine when I was younger — I was too poor to buy plane tickets.
Don’t be that person who only drinks Cab. Step outside your comfort-zone. Try new wines. Be brave!
But I digress — let’s get back to Cabernet Sauvignon and talk about the history.
THE ORIGINS OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON
WHEN TWO GRAPES LOVE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH…
In the 17th Century in Southwestern France, an accidental cross breeding occurred. The chemistry was palpable. This was pre-Bumble and internet dating, so grapes had to meet at the vineyard. Cabernet Franc was just hanging out, minding his own business and occasionally annoying people with his green, bell peppery qualities, when he saw the completely stunning Sauvignon Blanc several hectares away. They locked eyes. Wine was had. They forgot themselves and had a dalliance. And thus, Cabernet Sauvignon was born.
But in all seriousness, that’s sort of how it happened. The most popular grape among wine drinkers was, well, an accident.
Cabernet Sauvignon really started to take off when it was used in Bordeaux Blends. A Bordeaux Blend — sometimes called a claret if you wanna be all fancy with your verbiage — is a composition of grapes the winemakers in Bordeaux used. The grapes often used in these blends were Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carménère, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Bordeaux wines were considered the benchmark of fine winemaking and still are to this day in a lot of circles.
These Bordeaux varietals — especially Cabernet Sauvignon — were taken to the Napa Valley in California. Flash forward to 1976 at the famous “Judgement of Paris” when wines from Napa were blind tasted against some of the Bordeaux heavy hitters and ended up winning. Now, Cabernet Sauvignon is very much associated with the Napa Valley. In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard the term, “Napa Cab,” before.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON:
I once read an article by Anthony Giglio in Food & Wine that described Cabernet Sauvignon as the Vladimir Putin of Grapes and honestly? I sort of agree with that. He said, “It’s tough. It’s powerful. It’s tannic. It poses for photos shirtless on a horse, and it doesn’t take any crap from Merlot — or any other grape for that matter.” To me, this is as about as apt of a description of Cabernet Sauvignon as it comes.
This varietal is one of the boldest, most powerful, intense, rigid grapes you’ll find out there. If it were an animal, it would be a freaking lion. If it had a star sign it would be a Leo with a Capricorn rising. If it could choose a profession — it would probably go into politics. It’s just that kind of grape. The grape has body, presence, is an attention whore, and has a whole bunch of tannins.
Tannins are, simply put, the astringency in a wine. Bitterness. It’s the stuff that makes your mouth pucker when you drink it. And let me tell you — there’s a lot of tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon.
The beautiful thing about tannins is, generally speaking the more of them the longer a wine will age. This means that some bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon can hang out in your cellar — or your wine fridge, coat closet, garage, or what have you — for quite a long time.
Cabernet is typically oaked, and that definitely adds a certain quality to the wines. It has aromas of chocolate covered cherries, figs, black currants and plums, leather, charcoal, and smoke.
IF YOU LIKE CABERNET SAUVIGNON: TRY THESE OTHER MORE BUDGET FRIENDLY REDS
LAGREIN: Your favorite thing about Cab is that it’s big and it’s intense. So why not check out this amazing varietal from Alto Adige? Lagrein is inky, tannic — but in a very structured way — and enormous. Drinking this varietal is like dipping into some liquid obsidian. It is powerful, ferocious, but a highly focused grape. The flavors don’t go all over the place and you’re going to get a lot more herbal qualities from Lagrein. If you like Cabernet’s secondary characteristics — like the pepperiness of it, that black coffee flavor, the body, and not so much the red fruit aspects, Lagrein is the varietal for you.
TOURIGA NACIONAL: So you’re into Cabernet Sauvignon because you really vibe with all that fruit huh? You love those rich, plummy, blackberry flavors and like your wines as voluptuous as Marilyn Monroe? This is the varietal for you. Touriga Nacional is a Portuguese varietal, with an incredible ability to age for as long as Cabernet Sauvignon — sometimes longer. Touriga is juicy, and tastes like sour plums, ripe blueberries, with the soft, cloud-like aromas of toasted marshmallow. Yes, I said marshmallow. Not only is this gorgeously intense wine high in fruit, body, tannin and alcohol, this wine — and this is the best part — is very affordable.
ANGLIANICO: You like your Cabs leathery, rugged, smoky, and intense. You want to have your Cabernets with beef brisket and BBQ. Look no further — this varietal from Southern Italy is your new soulmate. Anglianico is a delightfully earthy, gamy wine that is high in tannins and full-bodied — with plenty of good acidity. Expect to encounter flavors of spiced plum, dried cranberries, allspice, and white pepper when having a glass of this rustic, soulful red. These wines do require some time to age, like some of the more heavily tannic Cabernets, but when they do they are so worth the wait.
Pick of the Week: Cantina Madonna delle Grazie, “Liscone” 2015
$23.00 @ Stanley’s Wet Goods
Please excuse my nails… this was during quarantine.
The day I got this wine it was bitterly cold. And LA rarely gets cold. It was the end of January and we had some kind of front come in and temperatures were dropping into the low 40s.
The weather was dreary, but I was kind of feeling it because it was good for writing. I wanted a wine that was… soul warming. Boy, was I lucky that I found this little gem of an Anglianico.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t had too much Anglianico in my life — I’m more of a Nero d’Avola/Etna Rosso kind of girl. (We’ll talk more about those wines later.)
Anyway. I opened this little beauty and I gotta tell you. The nose was formidable. But not in an off-putting sort of way.
Aromas of smoke, tobacco, and leather immediately came to my mind. I got succulent black cherries, and weirdly Incense on my first whiff. It reminded me of the stuff my Mom used to burn when she wanted to reminisce about her days at Berkley and we lived in the Bay Area.
What’s super interesting about this wine is when you drink it, it’s much softer. There’s an amazing minerality to this wine — probably because of the volcanic soil.
Sure, you’ve got this racing acidity, good body, and heavy tannins but it’s not like this massively alcoholic, chunky wine. This wine works out. It probably bench presses 40 at the gym and does a lot of burpees. It’s reminded me of biker gangs that look really intimidating on their Harleys but in reality are just regular people. Doctors and lawyers. Big softies.
Anyway, I highly recommend this wine and at $23.00 it’s a phenomenal value. If you like your wines to be primal, intense, but sensual — be sure to give this wine a shot.
If you get it — this wine is great with a beef pot roast. That’s what I had it with — well it was more of a quarantine concoction I made with port wine, tarragon, beef, carrots, and red onions — and it was amazing. It would also be delightful with Chicken with Molé, Barbicoa tacos, or even a lush, creamy queso and chips to cut through all that intense acidity.
Actually… this makes me really want queso now.
What are your thoughts on Cabernet Sauvignon?
Do you have any full bodied red wines you love? Please leave notes in the comments below! Also, if you want me to talk more about certain wines, I’d be more than happy to! Let me know!