A Cabernet Franc... from Italy?

2009 d'Orsaria Cabernet Franc... in front of a Bill Maher DVD

Over the weekend I was browsing through my favorite neighborhood wine shop (check them out here!) and an impromptu tasting came up. I will never turn down a free wine tasting.

What made this particular tasting different was the wine: a Cabernet Franc from Italy. “Hmm…” I thought to myself… “Do they even have Cabernet Franc in Italy?” Apparently, they do.

Cabernet Franc is a grape varietal that originates in Bordeaux. It’s lighter than a Cabernet Sauvignon, but the two are often blended together or with Merlot. This Cabernet Franc comes from Friuli in northeastern Italy. And even more specifically the tiny village Orsaria. (Fun Fact: The name probably derives from orso which means bear in Italian – they used to roam the wilderness there!)

The wine itself is a little… funky. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. It smells very much like plum and cherries, with maybe a little bit of pepper spice. For me when I first tasted the wine I was overwhelmed by black pepper. Like, I needed a moment to take it in. On the second taste, however, the flavor of cherry really kicked into overdrive. And I am a sucker for cherries. This is a wine with a nice finish. I would definitely pair it with a lighter meat like chicken.

And there you have it. A Cabernet Franc from Italy!