October 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon in Focus
Cabernet Sauvignon continues to fetch the highest prices in the grape market, and the varietal is a strong performer in off-premise and direct-to-consumer wine sales. Expectations of many more years of strong sales led to a surge in new vineyard acreage in California, and the red grape is soon expected to overtake Chardonnay as California’s most planted variety. Yet the 2018 harvest brought changes to the wine and grape market that could mean even Cabernet may face challenges in the near term.