“Meet the Parents” : Cabernet Sauvignon’s Ancestors
with
Tim Free
Thursday, November 21, 2019
8:00 pm at Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel
Palm Court (Lobby Level)
Please join IWAGY for an exploration of the two grapes that are believed (DNA studies) to be the parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Tim Free, an IWAGY Director, has delved into this story. It ‘broke’ in 1996/97 while you probably were busy doing other things. Plants, as you may know, are inherently promiscuous, aided by their pollinators: insects, birds, the wind, etc. But Cabernet Sauvignon is the only known grape that resulted from this particular breeding pair, although geneticists believe there are other Cabernet Franc “children” (which would make them half-siblings of Cabernet Sauvignon), such as Merlot, Carmenère, and probably the Basque grape called Hondarribi Beltza, of Chacoli “fame”. (These are offspring of Cabernet Franc but not of Sauvignon Blanc.)
On this November evening we’ll explore the unique tastes and flavors -as well as an array of styles- of the parent grapes, starting with Sauvignon Blanc and then segueing into Cabernet Franc. We’ll also take a quick look at the history of this work, as well as a theory about WHEN and WHERE Cabernet Sauvignon was bred.
Some of the wines we’ll be tasting:
Sauvignon Blancs
Domaine Sylvain Bailly Sancerre “Chêne Marchand” 2017 (France, Loire Valley)
Abbazia di Novacella Sauvignon 2017 (Italy, Alto Adige)
Cabernet Francs
Domaine du Bel Air Bourgueil 2017 (France, Loire Valley)
Bloomer Creek Vineyard Cabernet Franc Vin d’Ete 2018 (New York, Finger Lakes)
Ryme Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc Alegria Vineyard 2016 (California, Russian River Valley)
Tim Free was the original founder of IWAGY in 1980. Since then he remained an interested wine-outsider, until 1995 when he began a short career in wine wholesale, followed by a long career in wine retail (1996-2014). He’s always stated his preference for retail (over wholesale) in the following way: “It’s easier to sell wine to someone who wants to buy it than to someone who is trying NOT to buy it.” Tim retired from the wine business in 2014 and has devoted some of his spare time to teaching wine and food classes at the Mount Saint Mary College Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment (Balmville, NY). Tim has a BS degree in Metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University and an AOS degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America.
Download the reservation form here: iwagy_newsletter_11-21-19_reservation.docx
with
Tim Free
Thursday, November 21, 2019
8:00 pm at Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel
Palm Court (Lobby Level)
Please join IWAGY for an exploration of the two grapes that are believed (DNA studies) to be the parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Tim Free, an IWAGY Director, has delved into this story. It ‘broke’ in 1996/97 while you probably were busy doing other things. Plants, as you may know, are inherently promiscuous, aided by their pollinators: insects, birds, the wind, etc. But Cabernet Sauvignon is the only known grape that resulted from this particular breeding pair, although geneticists believe there are other Cabernet Franc “children” (which would make them half-siblings of Cabernet Sauvignon), such as Merlot, Carmenère, and probably the Basque grape called Hondarribi Beltza, of Chacoli “fame”. (These are offspring of Cabernet Franc but not of Sauvignon Blanc.)
On this November evening we’ll explore the unique tastes and flavors -as well as an array of styles- of the parent grapes, starting with Sauvignon Blanc and then segueing into Cabernet Franc. We’ll also take a quick look at the history of this work, as well as a theory about WHEN and WHERE Cabernet Sauvignon was bred.
Some of the wines we’ll be tasting:
Sauvignon Blancs
Domaine Sylvain Bailly Sancerre “Chêne Marchand” 2017 (France, Loire Valley)
Abbazia di Novacella Sauvignon 2017 (Italy, Alto Adige)
Cabernet Francs
Domaine du Bel Air Bourgueil 2017 (France, Loire Valley)
Bloomer Creek Vineyard Cabernet Franc Vin d’Ete 2018 (New York, Finger Lakes)
Ryme Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc Alegria Vineyard 2016 (California, Russian River Valley)
Tim Free was the original founder of IWAGY in 1980. Since then he remained an interested wine-outsider, until 1995 when he began a short career in wine wholesale, followed by a long career in wine retail (1996-2014). He’s always stated his preference for retail (over wholesale) in the following way: “It’s easier to sell wine to someone who wants to buy it than to someone who is trying NOT to buy it.” Tim retired from the wine business in 2014 and has devoted some of his spare time to teaching wine and food classes at the Mount Saint Mary College Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment (Balmville, NY). Tim has a BS degree in Metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University and an AOS degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America.
Download the reservation form here: iwagy_newsletter_11-21-19_reservation.docx
