Good Morning!

Today is National Cabernet Sauvignon day! I am excited because tonight on Twitter we will all be gathering and tasting and “tweeting” about each wine we try. I love these “National” days. People from all over the world will gather and try wines I have never heard of and maybe never get to try and through the magic of technology, I kinda get to be there.

How these Twitter wine tastings work are pretty easy and if your not a Twitter user or even technology person, you can still have some fun with Cabernet. People gather at home, at restaurants and at wineries and most people bring bottles and they uncork and just start tasting. As they taste then they post their tasting notes on Twitter and many will post on Facebook as well.

There are many groups that have really large tasting parties and their will also be many people at home enjoying some Cabernet and posting their thoughts as well. I log onto Twitter and since many of the people I follow are in the wine biz I will just follow the hashtag #Cabernet and anytime there is a tasting note or comment about the wine, it will pop up on my screen. Then if I see a wine is getting much praise, I will make a note to myself to start looking for that wine next time I am shopping!

I will meet up with 4 of my friends early this evening and each one of us is to bring 2 bottles of Cabernet, we have set a few standards since we all want to try different wines. We are drinking only Cabs from earlier than 2004 vintage and they must be from Napa, CA. Anyone can put together a group to start tasting together, there are no rules except everyone wants to learn more and enjoy more wine.

Let me share with you what it is I know about Cabernet Sauvignon or also just called Cab to most folks. Cab is the love child of two grapes, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the state of California and in 2000 there were over 70,000 acres planted there. The natural acidity and tannins found in Cabernet is what helps form the structure and longevity this big wine is known for.

Many countries are producing Cabs that are exceptional….I personally found some winemakers in Chile who are making stellar Cabs. But France and Australia have so much popularity and they taste awesome! If you have never had a Cabernet Sauvignon it is a complex, structured wine and most people will describe it as cherry, black cherry, black currant and raspberry flavors up front. In an older Cabernet, I taste the big black fruits along with green pepper and some folks say they get lots of tobacco aromas. This is a big wine, if you are all about a light, fresh, quick finishing wine…this will not be for you. This wine is not for the faint of heart or taste.

Cabernet is a big, bold blast of black fruit with really deep color and when you first open the bottle and pour it, put your nose in the glass, you will smell fresh baked bread and a big whiff of alcohol, you can smell the heat…let it open up and relax, if not, instead of a great taste of berries you will get a kick in the mouth by the Cabernet, it needs a little air to bring the real beauty of this wine, relax and let it have a few minutes and you will be rewarded.

Speaking of being rewarded; when I first started drinking wines, I was into big Cabernet’s from California with steaks and huge fatty meals…and I still love them together, but one night when dining at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, I found out Cabernet and cheesecake could be best friends…I think it is the black fruit and tangy cheesecake combination that rocked my tastebuds. A few years later someone turned me on to Cabernet and brownies…RIDICULOUSLY decandant. My mouth is watering, because I have my two bottles sitting on the counter for tonight’s “tweet up” and I am baking brownies and can smell them wafting through the house.

The two wines I am taking tonight are 2002 Robert Mondavi Unfiltered Cabernet and the other is Chimney Rock 1998. They both are exceptional wines but I have not had either of them in about 5-7 years, I look forward to tasting and seeing how they have developed.

Enjoy some Cabernet tonight and let me know what you had that you liked!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi