Chris BerryFounder, Wine Underdogs — chasing the world’s overlooked grapesCabernet Sauvignon is the most famous red on earth, which means two things: it's reliably good, and you're reliably paying a premium for the word on the label. If what you actually love is the experience — the dark fruit, the grip, the structure that stands up to a steak and ages for a decade — there are grapes that deliver it without the markup. They just have names you'll have to learn.
Here are three for the Cabernet drinker.
Alicante Bouschet — the inky one
This is the one this whole site is built on. Alicante Bouschet is a teinturier — its flesh is red, not just its skin — so it makes some of the darkest, most saturated wines in existence: black-fruited, full-bodied, faintly savory. If you love Cabernet for sheer depth of color and power, start here. Read the Alicante Bouschet deep dive →
Touriga Nacional — the structured one
Portugal's noble grape — the backbone of Port — also makes spectacular dry reds: dense, floral, tannic, built to age. It has the structure and seriousness Cabernet lovers prize, with a violet-and-bergamot perfume Cabernet can't match. Read the Touriga Nacional deep dive →
Baga — the age-worthy one
If you cellar Cabernet for the long haul, Baga is your underdog: high tannin, high acid, savory and structured — the grape they call the Nebbiolo of Portugal. Young, it's firm; given years, it turns profound. A fraction of the price of the classed growths it can outlast. Read the Baga deep dive →
How to choose
Want maximum color and power? Alicante Bouschet. Want noble structure and perfume? Touriga Nacional. Want something to lay down for ten years? Baga. All three give the Cabernet drinker the bold, serious red they're after — and reward the small act of learning a new name.
New to the overlooked grapes? Start with the Underdog Starter List — ten bottles under $25 worth chasing.