Cabernet Noir could be the grape to fulfil "desperate need" for full bodied reds produced in UK

Cabernet Noir could be the grape to fulfil the “desperate need” for fuller bodied wines made in the UK, according to a London-based winery owner.  

Sergio Verillo, the co-founder of urban winery Blackbook thinks that the disease- resistant Swiss hybrid varietal Cabernet Noir could fill the gap and succeed in the UK market.  

Last year Verillo produced a wine using the grape variety, which he described as similar to a Cabernet Franc from the Loire with a medium body and refined tannins. There are currently limited plantings of the grape in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France and the UK.  

Verrillo, who sources grapes from East Anglia, Essex and Oxfordshire to produce wine in Battersea, claimed that early experiments have shown that the variety does well in the UK.  

“The grapes ripen with low acids and higher sugar accumulation, and they do not get disease easily, keeping spraying and use of other chemicals down,” he told Drinks Business.    “The UK is in desperate need of fuller bodied styles of red wine. Wine that is intrinsically interesting and complex beyond the norm of English and Welsh red wine, which is really difficult.”  

While Pinot Noir is currently he most widely planted grape variety in the UK, with 1,063ha in Britain, and Meunier is third with 394ha, both varieties are more commonly used in the production of sparkling wine, though an increasing number of reds are being produced from Pinot Noir. 

But because of the UK's unreliable climate and the unpredictable nature of the varietal, other grapes including Rondo and Dornfelder, are often used to make a red blend.  

Verrillo thinks the name ‘Cabernet Noir’ has commercial appeal, and may be easier for consumers to get behind than Rondo or Dornfelder.   “We need something that can be more relatable than Rondo or Dornfelder.

"Furthermore, Rondo, Dornfelder, Regent, and other random hybrids widely planted in the UK do not make great red wines, in my opinion,” he said.