Oz Wine Facts – Cabernet Franc Wines

A renowned black grape variety across the globe, Cabernet Franc is a lighter variety than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is mostly used for crafting juicy red blends with Cab Sauv and Merlot grapes, but can also be produced as a varietal, such as the Loire’s Chinon. Another refreshing drink created using Cabernet Franc is ‘ice wine’.

Viticulture

Aussie vintners covered close to 135,000 hectares of land with distinct varieties of grapevines, of which 3,000 hectares were not included in the bearing area. The growth of Cabernet Franc grapes can be approximated to 330 hectares of vineyard land, with 320 hectares falling under the bearing area. So, about 97.1% of land produced juicy and vibrant Cab Franc grapes.

Cabernet Franc Grape Production

In 2016, Aussie wineries witnessed the crushing of about 1,608,000 tonnes of grapes. The harvest and crushing of Cabernet Franc grapes amounted to about 1900 tonnes, 1500 tonnes of which were grown in cool climate wine regions, while the remaining 400 tonnes were harvested in warm inland regions of Australia.

About 23% of the total share was grown and nurtured in the Limestone Coast region. The rest of the grapes were sourced from famous regions like Clare Valley (11%), Riverland (10%), Barossa Valley (8%), and Riverina (7%). These are the top 5 Australian wine regions which produced the maximum amount of Cabernet Franc grapes in 2016.

Below, you can find statistics related to the growth, production and export of Cabernet Franc wines crafted in Australia’s lush and flourishing wine regions, for the year 2016.

Must Read: What is Cabernet Sauvignon?

Cabernet Franc Export Data

In 2016, 0.21 million litres of Cabernet Franc wines were exported to various countries across the globe. This is a hike of about 3% on the previous year, 2015.

The United Kingdom came out on top, importing 29% of the marvellous Cab Franc wines crafted in Australia. It was followed by USA, where 21% of the exports went. China imported close to 15%, while New Zealand and Hong Kong imported 7% and 6% of the total wine share respectively.

When considering the price points, the Cab Franc wines sold most lay in the price range of AUD 10/L to AUD 19.99/L (approx. 38%). Wines in the range of AUD 7.50/L to AUD 9.99/L have an estimated share of 32%. 23% wines lie in the price bracket of AUD 20/L and above. Wines lying in the ranges of AUD 5/L to AUD 7.49/L as well as AUD 2.49/L and under, sold the least (6% and 1% respectively).