Africa and France: A Cab Franc by Carmen Stevens and a Rich Pork Loin Dinner

For September our #winophiles group discussed French grapes that crossed continents.  For example, as our host Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Cam wrote, "Cinsault but made in Chile; Sémillon from Australia; or Négrette made in California."  And as always, we paired these beautiful wines with delicious food and drink.

Let me share the wine I chose.  I purchased a Carmen Stevens Cabernet Franc.  First, Carmen Stevens works for a top winery in South Africa (American owned), and this wine was given a silver medal at the Sunset International Wine Competition in 2022.  She was given the title of Winemaker of the Year at Naked Wines. 

This deep red wine is perfect for the dinner table with dark fruits, juicy, and nice spice. This is a red blend, consisting of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes were harvested from vineyards near Stellenbosch, a city near the Western Cape province of South Africa. It was aged in French Oak for 14 months.

About the Cabernet Franc grape, I learned that it is a parent wine to Cabernet Sauvignon, whose other parent is Sauvignon Blanc.  Seedlings of the grape were brought to the Loire Valley in the 17th century under the care of an abbot named Breton.  The grape buds and ripens a week earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. In the 2000s the grape was the 6th most planted grape in France.  

It is uncertain when the Cabernet franc was first imported into South Africa, but professor Abraham Izak Perold already recommended its cultivation in the 1920s, because of its ability to produce good quality wines. The variety was primarily used in producing Bordeaux-style blends until 1998 when Norma Ratcliffe from Warwick Estate near Stellenbosch, became the first South African to release it as a single varietal wine. (from https://southafrica.co.za/)

from Wikipedia

We paired this wine with a heavily peppered pork loin roast, seasalt-encrusted baked potatoes, and roasted Brussels Sprouts with bacon.  The deep red wine paired nicely with all the different seasonings and stood up to the heavy pepper on the pork loin roast.  

My best advice on the wine:

Age this wine 5-8 years.

Decant for 45 minutes.

Learn about other French wine grape varietals found around the world here

• A Cinsault-Heavy Blend from Lebanon - Château Musar's Bekaa Valley Red Hochar Père et Fils 2018 - Craves a Garlic-Heavy Dish or Two by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• A Great Burger on Homemade Pretzel Hamburger Buns paired with a Malbec from Argentina by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Africa and France: A Cab Franc by Carmen Stevens and a Rich Pork Loin Dinner by Our Good Life
• Feeling French in Paso Robles – L’Aventure Côte à Côte 2019 and Modern Cassoulet by Grape Experiences
• Hooray for Alicante Bouschet by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
• Northern Cypriot Chenin Blanc and an Indonesian Feast by The Quirky Cork
• Two Wines from French Grapes Now Rooted in WA Soil by My Full Wine Glass