How is Cabernet Sauvignon wine made?

What are the steps?

• Harvest: black grapes are picked; red wine gets its color from the skins.
• Destemming: Wine Folly notes that bolder reds like Cabernet usually have their stems removed before fermentation, while Pinot Noir is often fermented with stems.
• Fermentation on the skins: yeast turns sugar into alcohol. Most wines take 5 to 21 days, and red fermentation is often around two weeks. Winemakers use pumpovers or punch-downs to extract color and flavor from the skins.
• Pressing: the free-run wine is drained, then the skins are pressed, which yields about 15 percent more wine.
• Malolactic fermentation: bacteria convert sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid. Nearly all red wines go through it.
• Aging: in oak barrels, concrete, clay, glass or stainless steel. Oak adds vanilla-like flavors; time also changes the wine through chemical reactions.
• Blending and bottling: the winemaker blends lots, then bottles with as little oxygen exposure as possible.

Why do Cabernets taste the way they do?

Wine Folly describes Cabernet Sauvignon as full-bodied, with medium-high tannins and acidity and 13.5 to 15% ABV. Typical flavors are black cherry, black currant, cedar, baking spices and graphite. Oak aging, climate and the winemaker’s choices change how fruity or savory it is.

Is Cabernet often blended?

Yes. In Bordeaux, Left Bank wines are Cabernet-led, usually over 60 percent of the blend, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and smaller amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Wine Folly notes that few single-varietal Cabernets come from Bordeaux, where most are blended.

How to serve it

Wine Folly suggests 60 to 68 degrees F in a large glass, with about an hour of decanting for younger bottles.

Details such as exact maceration time, oak type and the share of new barrels vary widely by producer; check the winery’s tasting notes for a specific bottle.