The world celebrates International Cabernet Sauvignon Day every year on August 30th. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular wine grape varietal in the world but it is only the second most popular varietal in the United States, after Chardonnay.
The Bordeaux region of southwest France is the original growing region for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes dating back to the 1600s. The grape variety is grown in most regions of the world today.
It wasn’t until 1997 that UC Davis researchers, Carole Meredith and John Bowers, discovered the grape is actually a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The research was published in Nature Genetics.
Here are some Cabernet Sauvignon numbers:
- It’s estimated that there are over 850,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes globally, covering about 5% of the total world’s vineyard area. (OIV, 2017)
- The top four growers of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are China, France, Chile and the United States. (OIV, 2017)
- France produces a total of 126,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, making it the fourth most planted red grape in the country. (OIV, 2017)
- Chile has the largest share of its vineyard acreage planted with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, just over 20% of its total vineyard area. (OIV, 2017)
- In California, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape variety, followed closely by Chardonnay. (California Grape Acreage Report, 2021).
- The four counties in California with the most acreage dedicated to growing Cabernet Sauvignon are Napa, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma and San Joaquin County. (California Grape Acreage Report, 2021)
- Cabernet Sauvignon is also the most widely crushed grape variety in Washington state. (Washington Crush Report, 2021)
Cabernet Sauvignon’s popularity is based on its ability to produce excellent red wine in a wide variety of climate and soil types. Bordeaux and Napa are the two most important growing regions for high quality grapes.
