Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most famous red grape — and, it turns out, a genetic accident from a seventeenth-century Bordeaux vineyard. Octavius traces its DNA and its paradox, Isabella uncovers Spain’s century-old head start, and Koos explains how it became the backbone of Stellenbosch.

From Bordeaux’s storied châteaux and the Claret trade with Britain to South Africa’s pioneering Rubicon, Bordeaux-style red blends have reshaped the wine world. Meet the grapes, the history, and the pioneers who crossed the Rubicon to redefine red wine in South Africa.