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Cabernet Sauvignon quiz: 15 questions

How well do you know the world's best-known red grape? Fifteen questions on its family tree, its taste, its regions and its famous bottles, each with the answer.

Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier

Updated October 2026 · 4 min read · Edited with AI

This article may contain affiliate links.

On this page
  1. The grape
  2. In the glass
  3. Where it grows
  4. Famous bottles
  5. What to study next
  6. Questions people ask

Cabernet Sauvignon is the grape most guests think they know. These 15 questions start easy, with taste and food, and finish with the bottles sommeliers are expected to name. They suit Level 1 to Certified candidates and curious wine lovers alike.

  • Answer all 15 first. Then open the answers.
  • 12 or more: sommelier-ready. 8–11: solid. Under 8: read the explanations and try again next week.

The grape

Practice test

Take it as a real test

15 questions, one at a time. The answer and why after each one, then your score and your weakest topics.

Question 1

Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross of which two grapes?

  1. a)Merlot and Syrah
  2. b)Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc
  3. c)Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc
  4. d)Malbec and Carménère
Show answer

b) Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. A DNA study at UC Davis in 1997 showed it is the child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, most likely a chance crossing in Bordeaux.

Question 2

What are Cabernet Sauvignon's berries known for?

  1. a)Large berries with thin skins
  2. b)Small berries with thick skins
  3. c)Pink skins
  4. d)Very low acidity
Show answer

b) Small berries with thick skins. Small, thick-skinned berries mean deep colour and plenty of tannin.

Question 3

Cabernet Sauvignon buds and ripens…

  1. a)Early
  2. b)Late
  3. c)In the middle of the season, like Merlot
  4. d)Twice a year
Show answer

b) Late. It needs a long, warm season. That is why it is often blended with earlier-ripening Merlot in Bordeaux.

Question 4

The green bell pepper note in some Cabernet comes from which compounds?

  1. a)Esters
  2. b)Methoxypyrazines
  3. c)Diacetyl
  4. d)Acetic acid
Show answer

b) Methoxypyrazines. Pyrazines are strongest in under-ripe or shaded fruit. Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, its parents, share them.

In the glass

Question 5

Which description fits a classic Cabernet Sauvignon?

  1. a)Light-bodied and low in tannin
  2. b)Full-bodied, high in tannin, with good acidity
  3. c)Sweet and floral
  4. d)Off-dry and spritzy
Show answer

b) Full-bodied, high in tannin, with good acidity. Its structure is why it ages so well, and why it loves food.

Question 6

Which aroma is typical of Cabernet Sauvignon?

  1. a)Lychee
  2. b)Blackcurrant (cassis)
  3. c)Green apple
  4. d)Peach
Show answer

b) Blackcurrant (cassis). Blackcurrant is the textbook note, often with cedar, mint or tobacco as it ages.

Question 7

Which dish is the safest match for a young, tannic Cabernet?

  1. a)A green salad
  2. b)Steamed white fish
  3. c)Grilled lamb or steak
  4. d)Fruit sorbet
Show answer

c) Grilled lamb or steak. Protein and fat soften tannin. Delicate fish can taste metallic next to it.

Question 8

At what temperature is a full-bodied red like Cabernet usually served?

  1. a)6–8 °C
  2. b)10–12 °C
  3. c)16–18 °C
  4. d)22–24 °C
Show answer

c) 16–18 °C. Cool room temperature. Too warm and the alcohol stands out; too cold and the tannin feels hard.

Where it grows

Question 9

On Bordeaux's Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon does best on which soil?

  1. a)Gravel
  2. b)Clay
  3. c)Volcanic ash
  4. d)Chalk
Show answer

a) Gravel. Gravel drains well and holds heat, helping a late grape ripen in the Médoc and Graves.

Question 10

Coonawarra, in South Australia, is famous for Cabernet grown on which red soil?

  1. a)Terra rossa
  2. b)Basalt
  3. c)Slate
  4. d)Loess
Show answer

a) Terra rossa. A thin strip of red earth over limestone, in a cool climate for Australia.

Question 11

Sassicaia, a Cabernet-based wine from Tenuta San Guido, comes from which Italian area?

  1. a)Barolo
  2. b)Bolgheri, Tuscany
  3. c)Valpolicella
  4. d)Etna
Show answer

b) Bolgheri, Tuscany. It helped start the “Super Tuscan” story. Today Bolgheri Sassicaia has its own DOC.

Famous bottles

Question 12

Which winery's Cabernet won the red wine tasting at the 1976 Judgment of Paris?

  1. a)Château Margaux
  2. b)Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
  3. c)Screaming Eagle
  4. d)Penfolds
Show answer

b) Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. Its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon placed first, ahead of top Bordeaux, in a blind tasting judged by a mostly French panel.

Question 13

Almaviva is a partnership between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro. Where is it made?

  1. a)Spain
  2. b)Chile
  3. c)Argentina
  4. d)France
Show answer

b) Chile. In Puente Alto, in Chile's Maipo Valley.

Question 14

Dunn Vineyards is known for Cabernet from which Napa mountain area?

  1. a)Howell Mountain
  2. b)Mount Veeder
  3. c)Spring Mountain
  4. d)Atlas Peak
Show answer

a) Howell Mountain. Howell Mountain sits above the fog line in the north-east of Napa Valley.

Question 15

A classic Left Bank Bordeaux blend is Cabernet Sauvignon with mainly…

  1. a)Syrah and Grenache
  2. b)Merlot and Cabernet Franc
  3. c)Pinot Noir and Gamay
  4. d)Tempranillo and Garnacha
Show answer

b) Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Petit Verdot and Malbec can play small parts too.

What to study next

Cabernet makes more sense next to its opposite: read Pinot Noir vs Cabernet, then the Bordeaux guide for the Certified exam. For more questions on every grape and region, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions, free to start.

Practise with SOMM DIGI AICertified practice test

Questions people ask

What does Cabernet Sauvignon taste like?

Blackcurrant and black cherry, often with cedar, mint, tobacco or green pepper. It is full-bodied, with firm tannin and good acidity.

Is Cabernet Sauvignon related to Sauvignon Blanc?

Yes. Sauvignon Blanc is one of its parents; Cabernet Franc is the other.

Where is the best Cabernet Sauvignon from?

There is no single answer. The classic references are Bordeaux's Left Bank and Napa Valley, with Coonawarra, Margaret River, Bolgheri, Maipo and Washington State also well known.

Does Cabernet Sauvignon need to age?

Simple Cabernet is made to drink young. Structured wines from top sites often taste better after several years, as the tannin softens.

Your exam kit

Where to study for your exam

The Court of Master Sommeliers Learning PortalOfficial · freeThe Court's Learning PortalOpen the portal SOMM DIGI AI's free sommelier practice testPractice · freeSOMM DIGI AIPractise now
Sommelier Prep BookMy book · AmazonSommelier Prep BookQuick questions and answers for a break at work.Order on Amazon Sommelier Level 1 Prep BookMy book · AmazonSommelier Level 1 Prep BookLevel 1's key topics in one small book you can carry anywhere.Order on Amazon

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