Our cabernet tasting class has it all: controversy, international intrigue… and great wines
Cabernet Sauvignon. Meg Page. 2007
The words “Cabernet Sauvignon” may evoke wines from France or California in the minds of many, and with good reason — the variety’s prominence in wines from Bordeaux led to its more recent popularity with winemakers in Napa. But Italian Cabernet? Though perhaps not immediately associated with Italian wines, the grape has been grown in Italy since the 19th century, and many producers there now consider it a native variety.
Yet Cabernet has a controversial history in Italy, where for many years it was considered a suspicious “foreign influence” on wine production, at the expense of the cultivation of local varieties. Once an illegal blending partner for Nebbiolo in Barolo, Cabernet achieved notoriety in Italy more than a generation ago, when it became commonly blended with other varieties — often with Sangiovese — to create the phenomenon of “Super Tuscan” wines.
Today, after decades of experimentation, Italian producers have successfully incorporated Cabernet into their winemaking, often resulting in superior wines. Join us at Vino on November 12 for Italian Cabernet, as Robert Scibelli, DWS, leads a revealing tasting of ten Cabernet-based wines and delves further into the history of this internationally renowned variety.
Cabernet Sauvignon grows successfully in all Italian regions but, because of Italy’s varied climate, its nature can change dramatically from place to place. While we will taste the likes of Castello dei Rampolla’s Sammarco and Paola Di Mauro’s Colle Picchioni, wines that are emblematic of Cabernet Sauvignon’s rise to elite status in Italy, it might be bottles like La Stoppa’s Stoppa or Ronco dei Tassi’s Cjarandon that will take tasters by surprise. These wines, the products of traditions stretching back to the early 20th century, are excellent facsimiles of classic Bordeaux and fine reflections of their respective terroir.
Italian Cabernet
with Robert Scibelli, DWS
November 12
6:30-8:30pm
$95
Vino
121 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
For more information call 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.
Tks for your help. Congratulations for your blog.
Try Bolgheri Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido
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http://nossovinho.com/
Your right about these wines being controversial but the “Super Tuscans” are some of the worlds best red wines. Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Solaia, ect… I love Cabernet Sauvignon and love it even in Tuscany where Sangiovese rules.