Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc is a versatile black-skinned grape from France that creates slightly earthy wines with intriguing fruit and spice flavours and savoury and herbaceous notes.

This early-ripening, thin-skinned grape is one of the world’s most important wine grape varieties. Effortlessly straddling the Old and New Worlds, it creates wines in a wide range of styles.

Cabernet Franc also played a vital part in creating other key grape varieties – and it’s the parent grape of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère.

While Cabernet Franc’s earliest roots can be traced back to the Basque region on the border of Spain and France, it has been associated with the French Loire and Bordeaux wine regions for centuries.

Cabernet Franc is at home in the cooler climate of France’s Loire Valley and the warmer Bordeaux region – but the grape is also versatile and has spread across the wine-producing world. In the New World, you can find flourishing Cabernet Franc vineyards in California and Washington in the United States.

Winemakers in Canada’s Niagara Peninsula and Argentina’s Mendoza regions make expressive Cabernet Franc wines. Additionally, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Chile are joining the Cabernet Franc league, with winemakers adding their unique touch to the variety.

Cabernet Franc is used in both single-varietal wines and blends.

As a single varietal, it’s especially popular in the Loire Valley in France, where it creates high-acidity wines with bright red fruit flavours, floral aromas and sometimes herbaceous hints. These lighter-bodied wines are typically enjoyed young, but some, especially those from the Chinon and Bourgueil appellations, can age beautifully.

In Bordeaux, particularly in the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol appellations, Cabernet Franc is often used as a blending grape alongside Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, it adds complexity, acidity and a distinct floral character to the wines.

Cabernet Franc wines from Tuscany are richer and riper than French styles. The warmer, humid climate here helps create wines with bold, dark fruit flavours and hints of spice. Wines from this area are commonly aged in oak to create richer, fuller wines. Check out bottles from the Bolgheri DOC, home of Super Tuscan wines. If you’re after a New World style of Cabernet Franc, look no further than the Sierra Foothills in California. This style of Cabernet Franc is bold and opulent, with sweet flavours of juicy red berries and warming hints of roasted jalapeño. When aged in oak, these wines become more luxurious, developing flavours of baking spices and chocolate.

It’s common for New World styles of Cabernet Franc to be created using late-harvested grapes, reducing the wine’s green notes and emphasising its fruit flavours.

In cooler climates like Canada, Cabernet Franc is even used to produce ice wine, a type of dessert wine made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine.

The aromas of a Cabernet Franc wine change depending on where the wine was produced.

Cooler climate Cabernet Francs, such as those from the Loire Valley, are prized for their strawberry, raspberry and red cherry flavours, floral aromas and subtle mineral and graphite undertones.

In warmer climates, Cabernet Franc ripens more fully, leading to a bigger, bolder style of wine. A fuller-bodied style of Cab Franc from a warm climate delivers black cherry, cassis, plum and blackcurrant flavours, with notes of black pepper and other spices. If aged in oak, the wines develop flavours of vanilla, toast or cocoa.

Like its Bordeaux siblings Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Cabernet Franc has the signature savoury hint that ranges from green leaves to green bell pepper.

With its bright acidity and medium body, Cabernet Franc is a very food-friendly wine. It pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes.

As a good rule of thumb, Cabernet Franc goes well with poultry and game birds – think roast chicken or duck. It’s also an excellent match for lamb and beef, especially when cooked with herbs.

For vegetarians, dishes featuring mushrooms, lentils or roasted vegetables can partner well with Cabernet Franc.

Cheese lovers will enjoy a glass of Cabernet Franc with cheddar, Camembert and Brie.

Cabernet Franc is best served a little below room temperature, around 16-18°C.

Opt for a standard red wine glass – the wider bowl will allow some oxygen into the wine to help release its aromas, and the narrow rim concentrates them on your nose as you sip.

Before serving, consider decanting the wine, especially if it’s a more tannic, fuller-bodied Cabernet Franc. This allows the wine to breathe and will enhance its flavours and aromas.

Look to store your unopened bottle of Cabernet Franc in a wine fridge. A cool, dark place will work, too. Once open, aim to finish your bottle of Cabernet Franc within three to five days and store it in a cool, dry place between servings.