Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Insights

According to Wine-Searcher, Australia produces seven of the world’s top 10 value Cabernet Sauvignon. Based on wines with at least a 90-point rating + and dividing the rating by the wine’s price, Cabernet Sauvignon from Australian regions Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek and Margaret River out-performed wines from international competitors Napa Valley and Bordeaux.

This comes on top of Australia’s strong performance at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards. Of the 27 gold medals awarded to Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia received the most with seven golds ahead of France and South Africa.

Gold medals awarded to Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards:

Australia 7
France 4
South Africa 4
Chile 3
China 3
USA 2
Italy 1
Romania 1
Bulgaria 1
Israel 1
Total 27

Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most planted grape variety?

According to IWSR, Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s largest selling variety with 163 million cases (9-liter case equivalents) sold across the globe in 2018. Cabernet Sauvignon is Australia’s second most planted red variety behind Shiraz.

In 2019, while the overall Australian grape-crush declined by 3 percent, the Cabernet Sauvignon crush increased by 3 percent to just over 250,000 tonnes and reflecting growing demand, the average purchase price of Cabernet increased by 14 percent to $846 per tonne. Reflecting the premium nature of Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 % of the Cabernet Sauvignon purchased by Australian wineries was at prices above $1500 per tonne (vs 7 % for all grapes).

Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is shipped to over 114 markets around the world, with China and the United States the two biggest export destinations with a combined 70 percent value share.

The premium status of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is also evident in the latest export figures. Exports of Australian single variety Cabernet Sauvignon averaged A$6.71 per liter in 2018–19, well-above the total average for all red wines of A$4.54 per liter. Australian Cabernet Sauvignon was destined for 114 markets

According to IRI Worldwide, in 2018–19, sales of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon grew 6 % in value in the USA’s off-trade market, double the overall Cabernet market growth rate of 3 %. For Australia, the strongest growth is coming at US$8–14.99 per bottle and, albeit off a small base, above US$25 per bottle.

The Clones
Wine Australia is also investing in R & D into Cabernet Sauvignon. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) is currently into the final year of a three-year project, ‘Cabernet Sauvignon trials to evaluate response to climate and management.’ Three field sites of Cabernet Sauvignon plantings will be established in contrasting climates and soils. Each will contain at least 10 Cabernet Sauvignon clones that will be selected in collaboration with the sector and monitored to ensure that vines are well-established.

In the future, clone performance will be evaluated via a range of parameters including vine phenology, vegetative and reproductive growth, water relations and berry traits. The construction of the trial will allow comparison between different clones at the same site and between the performance of each clone in different.

SARDI
https://pir.sa.gov.au/research/about_sardi

Wines Australia
https://www.wineaustralia.com/

2014 Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon “Vintner’s Reserve”

“This lush, round and rich vintage is back by popular demand!”

Vintage: 2014

Varietal: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot & 1% Malbec

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Sonoma County

State or country: CA/USA

Price: $27.95 [Canadian]

Available: In Ontario, Vintages # 331603

Review date: March 17, 2018

Review:

This dark ruby wine has aromas of lush black cherry and cassis with some vanilla and dried herb notes; on the palate, there is a nice balance with soft tannins with some hints of mocha following through on a long finish.

Score: 89

 

About Kendall-Jackson

Kendall-Jackson is one of America’s well known and loved family-owned and operated wineries. Along with their children, Kendall-Jackson is based in Sonoma County and offers a range of acclaimed wines grown on the family’s estate vineyards along the coastal ridges of California. A leader in sustainable vineyard and winery practices, including water and energy conservation and natural pest control, 100 percent of Kendall-Jackson’s vineyards in California are third-party certified by SIP (Sustainable in Practice) and CCSW (Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing). Kendall-Jackson was recently named 2017 winery of the year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, recognized as a benchmark in the California wine industry. Learn more online at www.kj.com, and follow Kendall-Jackson on social at Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Wine Review: Bodega Norton 2014 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (100%)
Region: Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
Producer: Bodega Norton
Alcohol: 13.6%

Deep ruby-red in color; with aromas of blackberry and red pepper with hints of spice; dry with full body, balanced acidity and firm structure; ripe black fruit is enhanced by notes of vanilla and black pepper, with flavours lingering on to a medium finish.

Suggested Food Pairing

grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, braised lamb shanks and Grilled Chorizo

liz-palmer.com – June 15, 2017
Rating: 88 points

Notes
Awards: Silver Wines of Argentina, awarded 2016

Fleur du Cap Wine and Artisanal Salt Pairing – A Unique Experience

FdC-CabernetSauv-Beef South Africa’s critically acclaimed-chef Craig Cormack has teamed up with Fleur du Cap winery to create specially designed dishes, which are seasoned with unique salts and perfectly paired with award-winning unfiltered Fleur du Cap wines.

Just as there are regions for wine growing, there are also regions for salt. Craig has sourced out black lava salt from the volcanic rock pools of Hawaii, the sea and desert of South Africa’s arid West Coast, Khoisan and Oryx Desert salt, pink Murray River Salt from Australia, and rare Persian Blue Salt from rock crystals.

Craig explains the process: “One of the challenges when pairing salt and wine is to create food that will enhance the wine without dominating it. The natural process of crafting Fleur du Cap wines by allowing the style inherent in the grapes to guide the winemaking team, works particularly well with unrefined, artisanal salts, reverting back to nature in both the food and the wines.”

Some of Craig’s pairings include: Merlot paired with Beef Carpaccio paired with Kala Namak Salt; Chenin Blanc paired with Pizzadeliere paired with Caviar Salt; Cabernet Sauvignon paired with Salted Beef paired with Oryx Salt; Pinotage paired with Salted Peanut, Chocolate and Banana Mouse paired with Peruvian Salt, amongst others. Each dish has a unique salt profile which, when paired with Fleur du Cap wine, brings out the complex flavours of these varietals.

Situated in the hart of Stellenbosch wine country, Fleur du Cap vineyards reflect the rich biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom. One of only six such plant kingdoms in the world – home to over 9,600 plant species.

“Our wines are crafted with nature in mind based on our winemaking philosophy of Regional Excellence”

My favorite pairing
Cabernet Sauvignon paired with Salted Beef paired with Oryx Salt

Oryx Salt
South Africa; natural white unprocessed and sundried; trace minerals

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Tasting Notes

Complex flavours of blackcurrant, blueberry with hints of violets and mocha; integrated oaking adds firm tannins, which give a long finish.

Blend
100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food Suggestions
This complex wine is the ideal accompaniment to fillet of beef and roast lamb but goes equally well with rich, robust dishes and strong cheeses.