A Taste of Australian Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon
by
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's finest red wine grapes. From Bordeaux to California and increasingly in Italy and even Chile, Cabernet makes great red wines. Australia is no exception, making great Cabernet in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Hunter Valley.
Cabernet grapes tend to be thick-skinned with bunches of small berries, and also only give moderate-sized crops in general. This means that wines made from these grapes will have plenty of skins from which to get colour, flavour and tannin, and have plenty of flavour as a finished wine.
Cabernet based wines can tend to be quite tannic when they're young, but age very gracefully with a softening of the tannin and the slow development of complexity, cedar and cigar box aromas. In regions where the grapes do not quite ripen there can be a "capsicum" or "green bean" character. This can add complexity to the wine, but if more than a trace it tends to distract from the experience and be a fault. Very ripe Cabernets from warm climates tend to be less distinctively Cabernet, and develop chocolate and richer flavours, and while delicious young, they do not cellar as well. The flavour profile in Cabernets tends to be blackcurrant and redcurrant, blackberry, and cassis, with occasional hints of mint, chocolate and even regional earthiness.
Regional versions of this wine can be noticed and I will mention these on the next page along with some recommended wines to try from each region.
Australian regional versions of Cabernet Sauvignon
About the author
Gavin is the manager of the Australian Wine Centre (a large collection of affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular Auswine Forum (an online discussion forum about Australian wine).
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