One of the interesting varieties that I saw in China was this little fellow: Cabernet Gernischt. It is widely grown there, so much so, in fact, that "Jiebaina" (a phonetic equivalent to "Cabernet") has becoming a synonym for Cabernet Gernischt and blends of other Cabernets, much to Chang Yu Winery's chagrin, as they have wanted to lay claim to the name (see here for more details).
Do a search on the web and not a lot useful comes up. Wikipedia as a stub, and there are various entries by outfits selling the wine that comes from China, but there is little else available - not even my hardly-ever-fails-me Super Gigantic Y2K Grapevine Glossary, by A.J. Hawkins has an entry for it!!
Most sources agree that the variety was brought to China (ChangYu lays claim to this, in particular) in the late 1800s, and that it no longer appears to be grown in Europe. The authors of the Wikipedia entry claim that it is the same variety as Cabernet franc, but I'm not convinced about this. I tasted it while in China, and think it's sufficiently different, and as well, there is some scientific evidence that Cabernet Gernischt is not the same as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet franc (see the article by Jiang et al., 2007).
I was told that the non-vintage Cabernet Gernischt is ChangYu's top selling red wine, and that they make 20,000 tonnes worth of it every vintage. That's about a sixth of their present production! I can see why - it's a very pleasant wine - not as big as a Cab Sauv, but a nice accompaniment to an every-day meal. Big less dainty than a Cab franc, but with nice fruit, spice and a hint of perfume.
There is also interest in making a lower-alcohol version of the wine, with Qingdao (better known for its beer than its wine!) coming out with a 9% alcohol version (via reverse osmosis).
Is it possible that this long-lost native of Europe could make a foray back into the West? Never say never!!
Do a search on the web and not a lot useful comes up. Wikipedia as a stub, and there are various entries by outfits selling the wine that comes from China, but there is little else available - not even my hardly-ever-fails-me Super Gigantic Y2K Grapevine Glossary, by A.J. Hawkins has an entry for it!!Most sources agree that the variety was brought to China (ChangYu lays claim to this, in particular) in the late 1800s, and that it no longer appears to be grown in Europe. The authors of the Wikipedia entry claim that it is the same variety as Cabernet franc, but I'm not convinced about this. I tasted it while in China, and think it's sufficiently different, and as well, there is some scientific evidence that Cabernet Gernischt is not the same as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet franc (see the article by Jiang et al., 2007).
I was told that the non-vintage Cabernet Gernischt is ChangYu's top selling red wine, and that they make 20,000 tonnes worth of it every vintage. That's about a sixth of their present production! I can see why - it's a very pleasant wine - not as big as a Cab Sauv, but a nice accompaniment to an every-day meal. Big less dainty than a Cab franc, but with nice fruit, spice and a hint of perfume.
There is also interest in making a lower-alcohol version of the wine, with Qingdao (better known for its beer than its wine!) coming out with a 9% alcohol version (via reverse osmosis).
Is it possible that this long-lost native of Europe could make a foray back into the West? Never say never!!
An update on this one - a January 2011 story states how ChangYu has settled a lawsuit about the use of the term "Cabernet". The six companies involved will be able to use the trademarked term, but other companies cannot!
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Hi Glen,
ReplyDeleteI came across your most interesting blog whilst researching the elusive Cabernet Gernischt for my own blog (due to be published tomorrow). A Chinese wine with this grape in the blend has won the top award from Decanter (He Lan Qing Xue). I have cited your blog and linked back to you (and will also add you to my blog roll so that interested readers can find you). I hope you approve. My blog is at http://bordeaux-undiscovered.co.uk/blog/.
Cheers,
Nick
Thanks Nick!! Great article you wrote up. It probably won't be all that long before China starts exporting wines of this variety, so many more will get a chance to taste it!
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