Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s great noble grape varieties. It is the most-planted black-skinner wine grape in the world. It is the driving force behind many of the world’s most important wine regions, the main component in countless numbers of prestigious blends, and the most recognized and favored red wine on the worldwide market. As the saying goes: Cab is King!

When you’re shopping for wine, how do you decide what you’re going to buy? For a lot of people, it comes down to things like price, packaging, and position in the store or website. Sometimes it comes down to a recommendation from a trusted source. Is your preferred source a publication? Influencer?

Have you ever wondered how wine is made? It’s not exactly something they cover in school! There are so many decisions to be made and each has an impact on the resulting wine. Nonetheless, the basic steps of the winemaking process are fairly consistent.

This week’s content is all about the FUN and creative side of describing wine. Last week, in How to Describe Wine: Part 1 of 2, we focused on the foundation of our descriptions: a wine’s structure. Now it’s time to bring your own unique perspective and expression to the composition of your descriptions. We’re introducing specific flavor profiles related to fruit, flowers, herbs, spices, oak, minerals, and the other nuances we’re learning to detect as we gain experience tasting wine.

If you’re someone who likes wine but struggles to put into words what you like specifically, this week’s content was created for you! As always, we’re starting with the basics. It’s easy to get turned off or intimidated by the way some people talk about wine. We're here to help!

You can analyze the fun out of anything, but that’s not what the process of learning to taste wine is all about. Tasting using a strategic approach is the best way to learn about different styles and better understand your preferences. Comparison is the key!