Whether a retail store or restaurant wine list, we sommeliers get asked this question 50-100 times per day. Where are your Cabernets?! At the store location I work at we have 8 Sections or more full of wine from all over the world and 95% gravitate to one area and never view the rest : “American Cabernet Sauvignon” In this video I wanted to remind consumers that 1- American Wines only require by law to be 75% quantity of the grape listed on the outside of the label. That label and section of the store or wine list that says “American Cabernet” is probably in the majority of cases 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with 26% being one or a multitude of other grapes which varies from vintage to vintage. 2- Almost every country in the world plants the grape Cabernet Sauvginon so answering the popular question “Where is your Cabernet Sauvginon Section” is not a one word or one finger pointing answer. What about within South America, South Africa, Bordeaux France, Languedoc France, Australia, Greece, Italy, Israel… I literally have 15 areas with Cabernet Sauvginon so there is no one answer to your question. The main reason for this post, is to once again to remind you to ask for wine or order wine by your style of wine and your budget rather than getting in the rut of thinking you only drink wines when the label says “Cabernet Sauvignon” This is so much more beneficial to you the consumer because as mentioned above, not only do you miss the 10-12 other countries besides USA that produces Cabernet Sauvignon but the odds are it is nowhere near 100% of that grape anyway and they all will be a different expression of the grape.
Grape-fully yours, Larry
Larry The Wine Guy 