10 best value Cabernet Sauvignons

Few grape varieties can deliver quality and value better than Cabernet Sauvignon, the perennial red wine grape that is popular globally. Here we pick out the top 10 value Cabernets from our inaugural Asian Cabernet Sauvignon Masters that sell for under HK$300 (US$38) a bottle.

Each of the wines featured in the next few pages won a Silver medal or higher for their excellent quality in their respective price band, after a panel of expert judges including Master Sommelier, Hong Kong’s top wine buyers and educators plowed through more than 100 samples.

A diverse mix of wines covering different regions were judged in the competition, but, not surprisingly, Chile and Australia took home the biggest number of medals in the lower priced price brackets, offering some of the best value Cabernets out in the Hong Kong market.

All the wines are judged purely based on their grape variety either as 100% pure Cabernet or as blends, which must have 50% or more Cabernet in the blend.

It’s worthy to note that this is not a definitive list, as the top wines featured in here are competition samples that stood out for their quality and approachable price tags.

For the full list of medal winners, you can view our comprehensive report and analysis here.

All the judges for the Asian Cabernet Sauvignon Masters. First row (from left to right): Eric Desgouttes, general manager of Kerry Wines, Jennie Mack, managing director of Asian Wine Service & Education Centre, and Wallace Lo, hotel sommelier of The Park Lane Hong Kong. Second row (from left to right): João Pires, director of Wine, Food & Beverages at City of Dreams Macau, Ivy Ng, publisher of the drinks business Hong Kong, Amanda Longworth, head of marketing and wine services at BBR Hong Kong, Wendy Chan, general manager of wine & spirits at Telford International, Alan Liu, former beverage and country store manager of The American Club Hong Kong and Peter Nicholas, winemaker

Viña I Wines SpA Casa I Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The award: Silver

The price: Approx. HK$46.5

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 13%

The producer: Viña I Wines SpA

The region: Curico Valley, Chile

The taste: For those who are on tight budget, this is the red you should keep an eye out for as it sells for less than HK$50. Made by Viña I Wines SpA, the judges thought this had ripe red fruit, cassis and sweet wood aromas with a spicy side. This is a big and fruity red with soft tannins and persistent finish.

Morandé One to One Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$97

The grape varieties: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot

The ABV: 13.5%

The producer: Morandé

The region: Maipo Valley, Chile

The taste: This plush Cabernet Sauvignon is another top value red costing less than HK$100. Crafted by Morandé winery, the wine shows an abundance of fruits such as cassis, plum and raspberry with notes of chocolate and clove spice. The ripe and juicy tannins gave the wine a nice structure, accompanied with the typical mintiness found in Cabernet from Maipo Valley.

HK100-150

Casarena Reservado Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$125

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 14.5%

The producer: Casarena

The region: Mendoza, Argentina

The taste: A silky, smooth red from Mendoza gave many top priced Cabernets a good run for their money. An elegant, complex wine with a deep ruby red colour, the wine showed aromas of red fruits with light notes of chocolate orange rind. Full-bodied and well structured, with sweet spice and vanilla notes, the judges said it had soft, finely grained tannins and a good length.

Viña Cousiño Macul S.A. Antiguas Reservas 2014

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$ 130 (£13)

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 14%

The producer: Viña Cousiño Macul S.A.

The region: Maipo Valley, Chile

The taste: This is a solid and sturdy Cabernet from the family-owned Chilean wine estate Cousiño Macul, with a dark ruby colour, offering intense fruit aromas of berry, delicate cocoa, fresh herbs and light toast, followed by flavours of ripe black plums and blackberry fruit. Medium-bodied, well structured, this is a good option to drink young or cellar for a couple of years.

Australian Vintage Nepenthe Altitude Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$120

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 13.5% 

The producer: Australian Vintage Ltd

The region: Adelaide Hills, Australia

The taste: A Cabernet from Nepenthe’s ‘Altitude’ series which packs a lot of vibrant flavours from mulberry to blackberry with hints of mocha and cassis. Elegant and refined with supple tannins and a long silky finish. Fermented in open top wooden vats and then pressed, the wine is allowed to settle for a day before being racked into a mixture of new and older French and American oak barrels. The wine is matured in barrel for approximately 10 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cakebread Cellars Bakestone Cellars North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2014:

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$230 (US$29)

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 14.8%

The producer: Cakebread Cellars

The region: Napa, the US

The taste: The inaugural wine from the second label of the Cakebread Cellars, takes on the aromas of dusty black berry, black cherry and blueberry. An intense and savoury red that shows flavours of ripe black berry and sweet black cherry. Well balanced with a supple body and finely structured tannins, finishing with a fresh burst of black cherry and berry. This is a solid Napa Cabernet.

Barkan Wine Cellars Ltd Altitude 720+ 2011 

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$300 

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 13.5%

The producer: Barkan Vineyards

The region: Upper Galilee, Israel

The taste: Barkan Vineyards in Israel’s Upper Galiee is the second largest winery in Israel, and has been making consistently good quality Bordeaux blends for some years now. This pure Cabernet is grown from a vineyard planted at 720 metres above sea level, giving the wine finesse and a soft elegance. The wine shows plenty of red and black fruits, and hints of ‘minty curvaceousness’. A well structured and masculine wine. 

Concha Y Toro Marqués de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

The award: Silver

The price: Approx HK$175

The grape varieties: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot, and 1% Syrah

The ABV: 14.5%

The producer: Concha Y Toro

The region: Puente Alto, Maipo, Chile

The taste: Grown on alluvial soil with poor nutrients, this 2014 Marqués de Casa Concha Cabernet is a capable representative of Chile’s strength in making quality and accessible reds – especially Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a juicy wine with lush cherry, black currant, and blackberry aromas and a touch of tar and smoke. The wine has layers of ripe, juicy tannins, giving it a firm backbone and body. The finish is long and lingering.

Bodega Vistalba Tomero Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The award: Gold

The price: HK$150

The grape varieties: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

The ABV: 14.2%

The producer: Bodega Vistalba

The region: Uco Valley, Argentina

The taste: This high-altitude wine, grown more than 1,000 metres above sea level, is the best quality Cabernet we have discovered in the competition under HK$200, taking home a much coveted Gold medal. Grown on the sandy loam soils in the Valle de Uco, this wine shows complex aromas of berries, tobacco, paprika, graphite and cassis. Firm tannins gave the wine a good structure with a long and spicy finish.

Santa Rita Medalla Real Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

The award: Gold

The price: HK$300

The grape varieties: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc

The ABV: 14.6%

The producer: Santa Rita

The region: Maipo Valley, Chile

The taste: A stellar Cabernet Sauvignon from one of Chile’s biggest wineries, Santa Rita, the wine is a classic Chilean red that has aromas of dark fruits such as black cherries and blackberry. The palate is filled with spicy, peppery flavours with cassis, cherry, and vanilla, followed by a medium length, lightly spiced finish.