Comparison
Saperavi vs Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends
How Saperavi and Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
The main differences: Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends has more herbal / green character; Saperavi has more spice; Saperavi has more sweetness.
Choose
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends
Choose Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends if you want something more herbal and green, more oaky.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Herbal / green character
Clear differenceHerbs, grass, blackcurrant leaf, capsicum and other green notes, largely driven by methoxypyrazines and picking decisions.
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends is more herbal and green: medium against low.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Saperavi is spicier: medium against low.
Sweetness
Clear differencePerceived sugar in the finished wine, driven mainly by residual sugar but modified by acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness.
Saperavi is sweeter: low-medium against low.
Acidity
Clear differenceTotal perceived acidity. Rises in cooler climates and with earlier picking; falls with heat and ripeness.
Saperavi is fresher and more acidic: high against medium-plus.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends is more oaky: medium against low-medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Tannin: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Alcohol: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Body: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both medium.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Saperavi | Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends |
|---|---|---|
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Spice | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | low (1/5) |
| Sweetness | typically low-medium, ranging from low to low-medium (2/5) | low (1/5) |
| Acidity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Oak influence | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Body | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | medium (3/5) | medium (3/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Floral character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Texture | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Serve at | 16–18°C | 16–18°C |
| Typical flavours | damson, sour plum, blackcurrant, liquorice, tobacco | blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, fynbos, graphite |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Style
Saperavi
Georgia’s ink-dark red from a rare red-fleshed grape — dense, high in acid, and made both in modern tanks and in qvevri.
Style
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends
Structured, savoury Cabernet and Bordeaux blends from Stellenbosch’s mountain slopes — South Africa’s most recognised reds.