With summer fast approaching and the mercury rising, I find myself looking for different options in my wine consumption. I still want to drink red wine but not the bigger reds I enjoy when it's a little cooler outside. While everyone is familiar with cabernet sauvignon and the wonderful wines it produces around the world from Bordeaux to California and virtually everywhere in between, most people aren't familiar with its red parent, cabernet franc.

Cabernet franc is a thin-skinned red grape, thinner than cabernet sauvignon, with lower tannins and acid than cabernet sauvignon. The flavor profile is often ripe berry flavors, strawberry, blueberry, tobacco, bell pepper, violets and sometimes a little smokiness. Cabernet franc is grown in places such as California, Washington state, Italy, Chile, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux and in the Loire Valley of France, where it is known locally as breton. A few other synonyms for cabernet franc are bouchet, bouchy and bordo.

It's a versatile grape and makes wines from light rosés to medium-bodied dry reds, plus luscious and sweet dessert wines such as Inniskillins cabernet franc ice wine. The wines are best enjoyed young but will age up to about 10 years, maybe a little longer in better vintages. They pair well with food. I like them with some fish dishes, lighter meats, cheese — especially goat cheeses. They're easy drinking on their own, especially if you chill them ever so slightly, as I tend to do with all my reds here in Hawai'i.

In warmer climates such as California, Washington state and Australia, the fruity side of cabernet franc comes through. The wines tend to have higher alcohol levels and be more fruit-forward, with lower acidity, and are quite enjoyable on their own or with food.

On the left bank of Bordeaux in St. Estèphe, Pauilliac, St. Julien, Margaux, Pessac-Lèognan and the rest of its appellations, cabernet franc is often added to cabernet sauvignon and merlot for its aromatic properties. A typical blend on the left bank is 70 percent cabernet sauvignon, 15 percent merlot and 15 percent cabernet franc. On the right bank in Bordeaux: St. Émilion, Pomerol, Laland-de-Pomerol, Fronsac, Canon Fronsac, and the rest, it can be favored more heavily. In great estates such as the two Premier Grand Cru Classé A, Chateau Ausone and Chateau Cheval-Blanc, cabernet franc can be as much as 50 percent of the final blend. In the Loire Valley, cabernet franc is grown in Chinon, Saumur-Champigny, Touraine and Bourguiel. In these areas, the wines can be 100 percent cabernet franc and really express the terroir of the area. The wines have an earthy character and dark fruit flavors.

Some cabernet francs I've seen around town lately are: