“WHAT IS…?” SERIES
Episode 02: “What is Cabernet Sauvignon?”

Date: September 23, 2026

Hosts: Gavin Jones with Chris Page Recorded at: Winexel HQ, Hong Kong

1. WHAT IT IS The king of black grapes – the world’s most planted. Thick skins, small berries, deep colour, hardy in the vineyard. Born in Bordeaux, a natural cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Now grown almost everywhere.

2. HOW IT TASTES Blackcurrant and black cherry, front and centre. A green-pepper, herbal edge; often a hint of mint. Oak brings toast, spice, vanilla – and that famous “pencil lead” or cedar note. Cool climates: fresher, brighter. Warm climates: riper, jammier. With age: leather and dried fruit.

3. THE WINEMAKER’S HAND Climate calls the shots. Cool regions struggle to ripen – hard, bitter tannins – so winemakers blend in Merlot or others to soften, Bordeaux-style. Warm regions like Napa ripen fully: often 100% Cabernet. Big flavour that takes oak in its stride.

4. WHERE IT GROWS – AND WHAT TO BUY

5. A BIT OF HISTORY The Judgment of Paris, 1976 – fifty years ago this year. British merchant Steven Spurrier put top French wines, blind, against California upstarts. Napa won both colours. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 beat Château Mouton Rothschild – and the wine world woke up. Retold, with a wink, in the film Bottle Shock.

6. OUR RECOMMENDED PAIRING

7. SAY IT RIGHT Cabernet Sauvignon = “cab-er-NAY so-vin-YOHN.” The “t” in Cabernet stays silent.

8. IN A WORD Icon. The world’s benchmark red – powerful, structured, ageless. Made at every price, found in almost every market.
Entry level – Chile’s Central Valley, Pays d’Oc France, South Australia, California’s Central Coast. Inexpensive, easy, a good first taste.
Step up – Margaret River, Coonawarra (that signature eucalyptus note), Stellenbosch. Real quality for the money.
Top tier – great Bordeaux from appellations such as Pauillac and Margaux, and the finest Napa. Superb, priced to match.
Good value tip – affordable Bordeaux (Supérieur, Cru Bourgeois): often Cabernet-dominant, a great window on the grape.
A juicy ribeye – tannins slice through the fat.
Lamb, game, hearty stews – anything with savoury depth.
Mushroom risotto – the vegetarian pick (and great alongside the steak).

1. What It Is

A place, not a grape. Chablis is a small town in northern France, around 180km south-east of Paris, making wine from 100% Chardonnay. But it's cool-climate Chardonnay - none of the heavy oak and butter the grape was once known for.

2. How It Tastes

Crisp lemon, lime and green apple, zesty and bright, with high, piercing acidity, a chalky minerality, and a slight salty kick on the finish.

3. The Soil & Terroir

The secret is underfoot. Around 150 million years ago this part of France lay under a shallow sea, leaving soils rich in fossilised oyster shells — the famous Kimmeridgian limestone. That, plus the cool northern climate, is what gives Chablis its unmistakable minerality and saline edge.

4. The Four Tiers

The quality ladder, entry to summit:

Petit Chablis — younger vines and flatter, cooler sites; fresh and unoaked, made for drinking young

Chablis / Village — the classic, around 65% of total production

Premier Cru — better-exposed slopes, more depth and concentration

Grand Cru — the pinnacle, from the best southwest-facing hillside; around 1.5% of total production

5. A Bit of History

First identified for quality by Cistercian monks in the 12th century. The region shrank from 40,000 hectares to just 500 by the 1950s — hit by phylloxera, frosts, and two world wars. Today it stands at around 6,000 hectares of quality vineyards, and the region is in very good health.

6. Our Recommended Pairing

Shellfish and white fish — the classic squeeze-of-lemon effect

Roast chicken — keep the sauces light

Creamy pasta — the acidity cuts right through

7. Say It Right

Chablis = shab-LEE. The s at the end stays silent.

8. In a Word

Precision. Chablis is the world's benchmark for unoaked Chardonnay — the reference point everything cool-climate is measured against.