Why Cab is King
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best known wine grapes and most popular styles of wine, world wide. The chief grape of Bordeaux, Cab has traveled the globe, conquering vineyards and supplanting the local varieties.
Cabs are often tannic wines, both from the grape and from being aged extensively in oak. Such wines need years, even decades to soften and approach their peaks. How is it that a wine that is so often incredibly expensive and meant for aging has become the darling of casual sippers on nearly every continent?
Most wine lovers follow a pattern in their education. I certainly did, and my casual straw poll over the years has revealed this common process:
Stage 1: Discovery - The earliest wines tend to be light, inexpensive, and often of poor quality. The occasional bottle of better wine is tasted, and soon it becomes evident that there are higher quality wines to seek out. For many these first wines are white.
Stage 2: Exploration - As one starts to taste more wines, they learn that there are that many more to seek out. The realization of the variety of wine is overwhelming, and some find a niche and stick to it, while others press on. Beaujolais and other lighter reds are the first foray into red wine for many.
Stage 3: Realization - Not all wine drinkers get to this stage, but those that do have started to notice a quality difference, not just regional or varietal difference in wines. Merlot and Chardonnay are often favorites at this point. The strong wine making flavors of oak and diacetyl (butter flavor) are prevalent in these wines and they add a pleasing complexity.
Stage 4: Bigger is Better - This stage is often linked to testosterone. Not that many women don't share this point of development, but men rarely miss it. This is the early Cabernet Sauvignon stage. The taster has discovered tannin, and likes it. Big wines, thick with tannin are common (I could stand a fork up in the wines I liked at this stage). Those who have the wherewithal or opportunity may venture into Bordeaux, Super Tuscans, or Barolos at this point. There is another common feature to those at this juncture - even for those who don't go for the tannins - a nearly uncontrollable urge to stop at out of the way liquor stores to see if they have any bargains.
Stage 5: My Taste is OK - After all of the wines one has tasted to get to this point, an amazing thing happens. People often become more comfortable with their own ability to chose wines. I am going to show my bias here and suggest that this is where people learn about Pinot Noir/Burgundy and Rielsing/Germany. These lighter nuanced wines are often appreciated by those that have more to compare them to.
Stage 6+: Wine Geek - Needless to say, I am a wine geek. I love all things technical (and not just about wine). Some of us just can't resist learning every little detail about every subject, and so wine is perfect for us. Wine is not only fun to drink, it is fun to study (if you are like me). It has endless complexity and variables, and just when you think you know what you are talking about, it all changes. I am not sure if there is any specific wine that illustrates this point in wine education, perhaps a willingness to try them all.
Whew, even for me that was a long winded tangent. Believe it or not I am about to tie it in with the original premise.
Cabernet Sauvignon is popular because...
The average New World wine drinker, especially in the US, is at Stage 4. Stage 5 is looming, hence the recent surge in the popularity of Pinot Noir. I am working hard to bring Riesling to the fore as well.
Wine drinkers are starting to gain confidence, and as they do, there is a world of wine out there, just waiting for them. Most will never aspire to actual geekdom, but many will find their tastes changing, and it will be fun to see what trends that precipitates.
Cabs are often tannic wines, both from the grape and from being aged extensively in oak. Such wines need years, even decades to soften and approach their peaks. How is it that a wine that is so often incredibly expensive and meant for aging has become the darling of casual sippers on nearly every continent?
Most wine lovers follow a pattern in their education. I certainly did, and my casual straw poll over the years has revealed this common process:
Stage 1: Discovery - The earliest wines tend to be light, inexpensive, and often of poor quality. The occasional bottle of better wine is tasted, and soon it becomes evident that there are higher quality wines to seek out. For many these first wines are white.
Stage 2: Exploration - As one starts to taste more wines, they learn that there are that many more to seek out. The realization of the variety of wine is overwhelming, and some find a niche and stick to it, while others press on. Beaujolais and other lighter reds are the first foray into red wine for many.
Stage 3: Realization - Not all wine drinkers get to this stage, but those that do have started to notice a quality difference, not just regional or varietal difference in wines. Merlot and Chardonnay are often favorites at this point. The strong wine making flavors of oak and diacetyl (butter flavor) are prevalent in these wines and they add a pleasing complexity.
Stage 4: Bigger is Better - This stage is often linked to testosterone. Not that many women don't share this point of development, but men rarely miss it. This is the early Cabernet Sauvignon stage. The taster has discovered tannin, and likes it. Big wines, thick with tannin are common (I could stand a fork up in the wines I liked at this stage). Those who have the wherewithal or opportunity may venture into Bordeaux, Super Tuscans, or Barolos at this point. There is another common feature to those at this juncture - even for those who don't go for the tannins - a nearly uncontrollable urge to stop at out of the way liquor stores to see if they have any bargains.
Stage 5: My Taste is OK - After all of the wines one has tasted to get to this point, an amazing thing happens. People often become more comfortable with their own ability to chose wines. I am going to show my bias here and suggest that this is where people learn about Pinot Noir/Burgundy and Rielsing/Germany. These lighter nuanced wines are often appreciated by those that have more to compare them to.
Stage 6+: Wine Geek - Needless to say, I am a wine geek. I love all things technical (and not just about wine). Some of us just can't resist learning every little detail about every subject, and so wine is perfect for us. Wine is not only fun to drink, it is fun to study (if you are like me). It has endless complexity and variables, and just when you think you know what you are talking about, it all changes. I am not sure if there is any specific wine that illustrates this point in wine education, perhaps a willingness to try them all.
Whew, even for me that was a long winded tangent. Believe it or not I am about to tie it in with the original premise.
Cabernet Sauvignon is popular because...
The average New World wine drinker, especially in the US, is at Stage 4. Stage 5 is looming, hence the recent surge in the popularity of Pinot Noir. I am working hard to bring Riesling to the fore as well.
Wine drinkers are starting to gain confidence, and as they do, there is a world of wine out there, just waiting for them. Most will never aspire to actual geekdom, but many will find their tastes changing, and it will be fun to see what trends that precipitates.
posted by Wineguy at 9:34 AM
8 Comments:
So that's why I have been so grumpy lately - it has nothing to do with the holidays approaching or my overly busy work life. I am stuck in the testosterone phase of my wine drinking.
I'm rushing right to the liquor store for a Pinot Noir AND a Reisling - that should snap me out of this!
Once I stopped laughing long enough to reply, I thought I would take this opportunity to proactively defend myself.
No one has pointed it out yet, but the day that I posted this blog I saw a copy of the Wine Spectator and the cover story is about the rise of Riesling.
I had no idea that the Spectator was also pushing Riesling, but I am glad to see it. Even if it turns out I am a follower, and not a leader.
At what stage tempranillo?
Tempranillo is usually a stage 5 wine. Most Americans have to be pretty comfortable with their own choices before discovering the wines of Spain.
I tasted a fun California Tempranillo yesterday. 2003 Verdad, from Santa Barbara. This is a new wine, and it has room for improvement, but even this early version shows great potential. Once they have worked out how to best work with the grape, and the vines get a bit older, this is likely to be a great find.
Hey... what about right bank? I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I have encountered many bordeaux fans that are surprised to learn that many bordeauxs are mostly merlot, especially after merlot got bashed in the film Sideways. Does that mean us little girl wine drinkers can skip to Bordeaux right off the bat? please?
Though, I'm not the wineguy, I wanted to chime in on "anonymous'" query and add to the mix:
The staging schedule is nothing more than a general template, to be sure. In the grand scheme of things, liberty allows one to pick and choose whatever their heart desires. This being said, the staging schedule is dead-on for palate development.
In my opinion, people congnitively understand a "thing" by association, so by way of example, automobiles work well in explaining the world of wine.
Cars, not unlike wine, are typically valued in accordance with luxury, branding, scarcity, production value, and the place/science the car was originally manufactured. One can remember their first drive in their first car as if was yesterday, and likewise, can remember the wine, company and meal when they first experienced that "wine phenomenon"--the experience that delivered an understanding at a deeper level than words. For some, this experience was with a value priced jug wine discounted to move at their local spirits shop; for others a mid-priced domestic cab at a fancy occasion.
For most of us, we do not begin our "driving life" in a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc. For me, I started in a '93 Subaru Legacy. My first car featured many great qualities, and though it pales in comparison to Mercedes slk 500, because it was my first car, and the first piece of machinery that opened up certain freedoms, experiences and the simple act of driving, it is my barometer for judging what a car feels like, and forever will be; the Mercedes would have been too much car for me. In the immortal words of my ex-girlfriend when deciding whether we should purchase a BMW or a VW, "If we/I get the BMW, what will we have to look forward to, and who is to say that we'll actually have the time to enjoy all of this car?"
Wine, in my opinion, is no different. As your wine life develops, and you have opportunities to try new experiences, one would not do well in starting with the best of the best because your experience is not sophisticated/refined enough to pick-up on and consequently appreciate the nuance in fine wine. Scientists calls this "frame error."
A "little girl wine drinker" would do better to to explore and discover Merlot in Oregon, Chile', California, before attempting to enjoy the Big Boy Bordeaux's. For me, Canoe Ridge merlot was my gateway merlot. I still stock it and drink it regularly, because not only do I enjoy it, but it is my barometer for domestic merlot, and happens to be relatively inexpensive.
Before closing, I apply the same logic to wine accessories. Stemware, pouring decanteurs, oxygenators, and the like cannot be fully enjoyed early on.
In short, appreciate the shack in the hill country before you build your palace by the like.
Merlot in Bordeaux tends to be of a style that improves with age. Merlot in the new world tends not to be.
That said, there are some great Merlots of all styles to enjoy, but like any grape, some examples are more to my taste than others.
Merlot didn't actually get bashed in Sidewise, in my opinion. We simply saw a neurotic episode in which Merlot was given a starring roll.
Fictional characters throwing a nutty aside, Merlot from Bordeaux is certainly worth exploring. Never forget that Ch. Petrus, one of the most expensive wines in the world is not a Cab, it is Merlot.
Ah yes I chuckle when I think of my stages of vino appreciation ! Growing up my Ma and Pa fed us a little rose w/water before dinner.And yes Beaujolais was my first love after my affection for a jug of "Mountain Burgundy" faded!
Currently I am squarely in stage 5 but still enjoy a big juicy slice of
zinfandel pie!
I only wish the marketing machines would widen their efforts to include more varietals. I know many wine drinkers that think Cabernet Savignon, Merlot and Chardonnay are the only wines that serious winos drink ! They won't even try a tiny taste of a great dessert wine or a port. And reisling-yum - which fits the bill for so many foods and situations, is unfortunately, just a fluff wine to them. So in an effort to nudge my fine friends into new wines, I just keep bringing them occasional gifts of Tuscans/Cal-Italia,and viognier, muscat, reisling etc. etc ...
P.S. Talk about your giant wines!The ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) has the annual tasting at the end of
January (25...?)
in San Franfreako Ca. Literally hundreds of Zin makers and Zins ! Micro wineries, home winemakers, and the monolithic corporations all in one spot!
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