Red
Cabernet Franc
Widely permitted across the northeast and in Tuscany, where it plays a supporting role in Bordeaux style blends and occasionally stands alone. It gives red fruit, graphite and a leafy, herbal note, with lighter tannin and more perfume than Cabernet Sauvignon.
Worth knowing
A large share of what was planted as Cabernet Franc in the Veneto and Friuli was found to be Carmenère, a different Bordeaux variety that had been quietly misidentified for generations. The correction has been working its way through the region's vineyards since the 1990s.
Where it is allowed18 appellations