Caberenet Sauvignon

Ahh, Cabernet Sauvignon, the king of red wine! This renowned and revered red grape is now planted all over the world, and almost no matter where is grows it produces wines uniquely identifiable as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon is relatively easy to grow. It leafs out late, which is an advantage where spring frost is a threat (like Fair Play), and ripens late, which can be a problem in very cool areas. However, the loose clusters and thick skins of Cabernet Sauvignon fruit naturally help it resist rot and recover from Fall rains.

Cabernet Sauvignon berries are small, so the ratio of seeds and skins to juice is very high. This provides a lot of tannin and structure to wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, which is why the wines are capable of aging well for a long time. When the grape seed and skin tannins are handled well in the winery, Cabernet Sauvignon can be quite tasty in its early years too.

Many of the world's most intense and flavorful Cabernet Sauvignon wines come from fruit grown in mountainous areas, with elevation and terrain similar to those of the Fair Play AVA. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely grown grape in Fair Play, and produces wines of great distinction here.