The winter print edition of Club Oenologique is out now – with a focus on the world’s most planted red grape variety – Cabernet Sauvignon.
Far from trendy, even rather old school, it’s a grape variety that, nonetheless, yields some of the world’s most vaunted wines. And while you’ll find plenty of recommendations in the issue, Club O is a magazine that always tries to tell the stories of the people and places behind the bottles that we cover.
With that in mind, you’ll go a long way before you find a story as vivid or affecting as that of California’s Cain Vineyard & Winery, whose core team lost their homes, winery and 90% of the vineyard in the 2020 wildfires – but is now trying to rebuild.
Also on the Cabernet-theme, we pick out the next generation of California cults; chronicle how Bordeaux’s Château-Figeac, long considered somewhat anti-establishment, came in from the cold; and document more recent arrivals in the world’s Cabernet kingdom, including the Chilean winery whose ambitious scion had to tell his pioneering father he was ripping up his beloved polo field to plant a vineyard.
Away from Cabernet’s premier league, we speak to the former CEO of the world’s most famous football club, who, after a turbulent reign at Manchester United, is now finding solace reinvigorating a neglected winery in Portugal’s Douro Valley. And we explore the ever more eye-watering prices being charged for premium whiskies in an era of trophy bottles and dubious investment offers.
Rest assured you’ll also find plenty of recommendations for holiday indulging, with highlights spanning Champagne, whisky and Cognac. And yes, plenty of Cabernet – from Super-Tuscans to the top Bordeaux blends made outside Bordeaux.
