Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

It’s a bit like the difference between perfume and a brick.

Pinot is lighter in colour and body, more delicate in flavour and often more floral. Cab is darker, denser, chewier and more tannic. Pinot goes beautifully with lighter dishes and pairs especially well with duck. Cabernet is great mates with lamb and beef.

Pinot can give you florals, cherry, redcurrant, liquorice, cranberry, earth and mushrooms. Mostly it drinks well on release and for say up to 5 years from release.

Cabernet can bring blackberries, mulberries, cacao, blackcurrant, mint, sage, bay leaf, eucalyptus, tobacco, liquorice, cedar and violet. Cab can drink well when released but often needs decanting. Many will look their best at between 5 and 20 years of age.

It is almost always red, but the juice, as with most grapes is clear, so if you avoid skin contact you can make white wine from Cabernet. But you wouldn’t 'cause that’d be dumb, when there are so many varieties better equipped to make white wine with. Besides, Paul Kelly might just have to rewrite ‘Dumb Things’.

Noooo, unless you are ‘in a mood’ and watching Fight Club. In that case, sure, go ahead. Cab is naturally very tannic. Chuck one in the fridge and a wine which is already robust and potentially mouth puckering will become quite bitter and astringent - harder to swallow than a pair of pants!

Generally speaking, if the Cabernet Sauvignon in question is young and robust – you could decant for several hours, if it’s 10 years or older, just open and drink...

Psst, double decanting is awesome, Check here for our guide to decanting.

Sure, but there are often better options. Cabernet is perfect in a slow braise of lamb or beef but generally less astringent varieties work better when you are cooking.

We’ve got more info on Cabernet Sauvignon available here.