South American Wine Guide, Independent Guide to the Best Wines in South America for Visitors to Peru

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South American Wines

An Introduction to the Wines of South America for Visitors to Peru

Red Wine Varieties: CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Other Red Wine Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot / Carmenere / Syrah / Pinot Noir / Cabernet Franc / Bonarda / Tempranillo / Sangiovese / Tannat

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The undisputed king of red wines, Cabernet is a remarkably steady and consistent performer. While it can be found almost everywhere in the world, in specific locations it is capable of rendering wines of uncommon depth, richness, concentration and longevity. Cabernet is frequently blended with smaller portions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and sometimes Petite Verdot not only in a desire to craft complex wines, but also the need to ensure that different grape varieties ripen at different intervals or to give a wine color, tannin or backbone.

At its best, unblended Cabernet produces wines of great intensity and depth of flavor. Its classic flavors are currant, plum, black cherry and spice. It can also be marked by herb, olive, mint, tobacco, cedar and anise, and ripe, jammy notes. In warmer areas, it can be supple and elegant; in cooler areas, it can be marked by pronounced vegetal, bell pepper, oregano and tar flavors (a late ripener, it can't always be relied on in cool areas. It can also be very tannic if that is a feature of the desired style. The best Cabernets start out dark purple-ruby in color, with firm acidity, a full body, great intensity, concentrated flavors and firm tannins.

Cabernet has an affinity for oak and usually spends 15 to 30 months in new or used French or American barrels, a process that, when properly executed imparts a woody, toasty cedar or vanilla flavor to the wine while slowly oxidizing it and softening the tannins. Microclimates are a major factor in the weight and intensity of the Cabernets. Winemakers also influence the style as they can extract high levels of tannin and heavily oak their wines.

Wine characteristics
General Dense, dark, tannic
Cool climate Vegetal, bell pepper, asparagus
Medium climate Mint, black pepper, eucalyptus, pencil lead
Hot climate Jam

Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon wines are made from these grapes - on the vine they are red, small, and tough. The wines tend to taste like blackberries and cedar. Bordeaux uses the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, usually mixed in with Merlot. These grapes are also grown widely in California and Australia. The grape contains a lot of tannin, which leads to a good red wine when properly aged.

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South American Wines - An Independent Guide to the some of the Best Wines from Peru, Argentina & Chile.