Lori Budd founded Cab Franc Day. Lori is a winemaker and wine writer; unsurprisingly, her favorite variety is Cabernet Franc.
Lori is the winemaker and owner of Dracaena Wines in Paso Robles. You can also find her wine writing on her site, Exploring the Wine Glass; she has a podcast of the same name.
The History of Cab Franc
and Cab Franc Day!
Lori set this holiday to December 4th because it is the anniversary of Cardinal Richeliu’s passing. The Cardinal was exceedingly fond of this grape and actually took cuttings from Bordeaux to be planted in the Loire Valley. While he might have been a villain to Dumas, thank goodness he was around, or we might not have the likes of Chinon or Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil, who make delicious wines of Cabernet Franc. It likely made its way to Bordeaux from the Basque Country.
After being blended in Bordeaux, it was allowed to be itself, dominating wines in Bourgueil, Saint-Nicolas de Bourguiel, Chinon, and Saumur-Champigny in the Loire Valley!
Cabernet Franc was around before its progeny, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carmémère. It is known for its pyrazines, which give its wines a hint of green bell pepper or mint.
Today, you can find this grape all over! Lori makes Cabernet Franc with her winery Dracaena in Paso Robles. The top four countries for this variety are France, Italy, the United States, and Chile.
Aromas and Flavors in Cabernet Franc
Flavors can dépend on the climate, with red fruits like strawberry and raspberry in cooler climates and black cherry and plum in warmer climates. You are likely to get that green pepper note of the pyrazines in both, moving from fresh in the cool climate to roasted in the warm climate.
Additionally, you find herbs, mint, earth, crushed rocks, pencil lead, savory cured meat, tobacco, and Cassis.
What to Pair with Cab Franc
Pair a younger Cab Franc with herbs, grilled or roasted green vegetables, grilled tuna, chevre, or young sheep cheese. (Fiona Beckett even suggests pouring it over strawberries, which is something I know I plan to do!)
For an older Cab Franc, go with lamb, duck, or steak frites! Burgers or meatballs. With its pepper notes, it’s a no-brainer to pair with roasted red peppers or steak romesco. If you prefer to go meatless, try lentils, mushrooms, eggplant, or tomato sauces.
More on Cab Franc
If you want to learn more about Cabernet Franc, we’ve written a bit about wines from this grape!
- Cabernet Franc Merlot a limited rare gem from L’Ecole No 41 in Walla Walla Washington
- Cabernet Franc Day – Rosa Mystica Cabernet Franc
- On the 8th day…a Cabernet..well a Cabernet Franc…a Blanc de Franc at that.
- Cabernet Franc
- Celebrating all things Cabernet on International Cabernet Day
- Burgers and Cab Franc
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
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“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
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