I'll drink to that where we get behind the scenes of the beverage business.

I'm Levy Dalton.

I'm Erin Scala and here's our show today. Oh, Just how long have Bordeaux varieties been used to produce wine in Italy?

Catherine or Katerina de Mediichi is credited with having sent Cabernet grapes to Tuscany in the 1500s.

She moved to France to join her husband and brought with her many things from Italy, including Italian gardeners, elements of cuisine, and

novelties like the Fork.

She also had a hand in some horrific religious battles later in her life, including the St Bartholomew's Day massacre.

If Katerina did send Cabernet grapes to Tuscany, what kind of cabernet grapes were they? It's difficult to say exactly

when and how certain grape varieties moved around, but tracing grape DNA can hint at possible

movements across space and time.

Cabernet Savion's parents, Cabernet Franc and Savion Blanc, can hint at when Cabernet

Savion may have been born. Cabernet Franc may have been born.

Cabernet Franc is commonly believed to date back to France to the 1600s,

but DNA evidence suggests that Cabernet Franc is likely from Spain,

from the Basque region, and was possibly brought to France by pilgrims on the

Camino. The name Cabernet doesn't show up until 1823, but Cabrune can be found in 1716. Likely synonyms for Cabernet Franc are found in the

1600s and there is another likely mention of a synonym in 1534. There's also evidence that Bordeaux grapes were planted in the

loire in the 1050s. So how old is Cabernet Franc? It was probably born somewhere between a thousand and the early 1500s, but could have been

born later in the 1600s.

So could Catherine de Medici have sent Cabernetet franks to Tuscany in the 1500s?

It's possible.

Now let's look at Sabian Blanc.

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