Promising Wine Trend for 2012 - Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is normally a varietal that is used as a supporting grape in Bordeaux blends (think Chateau Margaux). This grape is grown around the globe but is kind of the ugly duckling of the wine world (always the bridesmaid but never the bride). Well, that could be a thing of the past. Cab Franc is grown around the globe and doing especially well here in Canada as well as being the main traditional grape in Chinon and Anjou in the Loire Valley in France.

It would seem that this varietal needs extra care in both the vineyard and the winemaking process, but when it is done right it is a grape that can more than stand on its own. We have had Cab Franc wines (or wines where Cab Franc is the dominant grape) from Canada, Chile, France, and New Zealand. These wines go from being herbal and aromatic to being grassy and vegetal with a barnyard scent on the nose (and yes that is a great thing).

Our opinion is that the Old World (French) version is treated much more as a traditional French grape with light use of oak and making it more floral and elegant. While here in the New World, it is a more "rough around the edges" wine with a much more tannic version grown here with that scent of the barnyard coming from the glass (really it is a great thing). The Cab Francs from the Niagara Valley are certainly much more earthy with green pepper and grass coming through. Should you ever visit there or be close enough to get wines from there, you will notice that vegetal characteristic right away.

Some of our favorite Cab Francs are:

Frogpond (Niagara-On-The-Lake)
Pondview Estate Winery (Niagara-On-The-Lake)
Peninsula Ridge Estates (Niagara Valley)
Rosewood Estates (Niagara Valley)
Strewn Winery (Niagara Valley)
Meffre Chinon Les Cloitres (Chinon France)
Domaine Chupin Anjou Rouge (Anjou France)
Spinyback Cab Franc/Syrah (New Zealand)

So if you are interested in trying an off the beaten path wine with a lot of potential, go for Cab Franc. You will like it.

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon