Cabernet Sauvignon in France

I have no plans on becoming a wine blogger as such, but I do enjoy French wine and have been writing for Wine Sediments, part of the Well Fed Network.

As I mentioned in my last post, our editor, Andrew Barrow, started a blogging event called Great Grape Day , where once a month we will blog about a particular grape variety, or cépage in French. We will be taking outside contributions and hope to have a few more next time, so if you're interested in wine, keep that in mind!

Here is my post for this month's event:

Cabernet Sauvignon in France

Although cabernet sauvignon certainly comes to mind as one of France's major grape varieties, it actually only takes fifth place, occupying approximately 50,000 hectares. It is, famously, the dominant grape in Médoc wines, where it can make up 80% of a "Cru classé."

Cabernet sauvignon is widely used in the South-West, especially in Bergerac and Buzet. It is also grown in Languedoc and Provence. We can even find a few thousand hectares of the variety in the Loire Valley, where it represents a minor component of most of the region's reds, and is also found in the lesser-known AOC rosés Cabernet d'Anjou and Cabernet de Saumur.

Here are some of the other event posts that will be of interest to CQ readers:

What Food With Cabernet?

Cabernet Sauvignon on the Blogs

Cabernet Sauvignon for Vegetarians

Photo Credit: Wine Tours of the Languedoc