"Est vieilli le meilleur" (aged is best). This is the name of the game with cabernet sauvignon. That's because the secret to cabernet sauvignon's prowess as a wine of choice is a meticulous aging process.

Cabernet sauvignon is a red wine varietal that hails from the wineries of the famed district of Medoc in Bordeaux, France. According to studies conducted in 1997, cabernet sauvignon is the result of interbreeding sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc.

A glass of young and fresh cabernet sauvignon is resplendent of black currants and is very tannic. As the precious liquid ages, it gets hints of cherries, blackberries, ceday, bell peppers, green olives, pimientos, green peppercorns, and ginger.

You may also recognize the parfums of cedar, eucalyptus, leather, a cigar box, oak, earth, and chocolate emanating from this blood-colored elixir. Further downing a shot of cabernet sauvignon causes you to identify more saveur of coconuts, vanilla, musk, smoke, sweet wood, toast, and mushrooms.

These flavors and fragrances get more pronounced as the cabernet sauvignon advances with age. Truly, est vieilli le meilleur.

A very versatile grape, cabernet sauvignon, adapts well to being planted in many different regions around the World. This grape makes the reference reds that other wines are compared to. Mixed with merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot in the Bordeaux regions of Medoc and Graves this grape makes the archetypal red wine. A wine that exists at a peak of refinement and allusiveness which few other wines can match.

Its life span after a good vintage can extend twenty or thirty years and beyond.

In California The cabernet sauvignons possess an enormously tannic and alcoholic wine barely tamed by its oak barrels. Their grandeur is unique and affords real aging potential where the wine takes on a chocolate softness.

For sheer drinkability cabernet sauvignon from Chile is hard to beat. The plum and mulberry fruit undertones have a purity and exuberance rarely matched from cabernet sauvignons of other countries.

Merlot is perhaps the cause of joy for many red wine lovers like myself. To find out more about this medium-bodied variety, I went to Medoc, a region in France popular for its red wine industry. This region was where Merlot grapes were first regularly planted, making Merlot a local variety by the beginning of the 19th century. I also learned from the same trip that this variety is known for its grapes that are lighter in color compared to Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

A glass of Merlot is definitely one of my favorite things in life. Aside from the fact that I salivate everytime I smell its aroma, this luscious darling is full of fruity flavor that strongly reminds me of my grandma's classic plum pie. It may not be as rich as a glass of Syrah but it can definitely soothe my senses. If a glass of milk can do wonders for a growing kid, then a glass of merlot can do wonders for my tastebuds.

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