What Does Cabernet Franc Mean? - Kirk Wiles, Founder Paradise Springs Winery

"It means not having to fight..."

Kirk Wiles, the Founder of Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, Virginia and Santa Barbara, California recently sat down with Wine Saves Lives! to talk about the history of the winery, the development of Cabernet Franc in Virginia, and a host of other topics. Below, is a transcript of Kirk’s answer to the question: What Does Cabernet Franc Mean?

---

Wine Saves Lives:
What does Cabernet Franc Mean?

Kirk Wiles:
gosh, what does it mean? I, you know, I think For me in Virginia, it means not fighting something.

And when I say that, you know, for years in Virginia, we thought Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay was what we had to produce here in order to become a great American wine region, right? And this, the reality of it is they're not the two best to plant here. You have to fight mother nature in the vineyard year in and year out to make a great wine from that.

And what Cabernet Franc represents to me is not having to fight mother nature. It's embracing mother nature and running with that. And so, not having to fight that, but also I think growing up and becoming comfortable in your own skin, because we don't have to make Cab Sauvignon [or] Chardonnay to be a great American wine region.