Famiglia Boron Cabernet Franc Venezia DOC – Raspberry & Herb-Led Italian Red Wine

Famiglia Boron Cabernet Franc Venezia DOC

Boron Cabernet Franc is a characterful red from Annone Veneto with ripe raspberry, subtle herbal notes and a beautifully balanced palate. Made from 100% Cabernet Franc and sitting at 13% ABV, it has enough depth for a proper dinner while staying fresh and composed rather than becoming heavy or overworked.

This is quite a different expression of Cabernet Franc from the huge, heavily oaked reds you sometimes come across.

There’s no big wash of vanilla or sweet oak here. Boron keeps the wine in stainless steel, allowing the grape itself to come through: red fruit, herbs, freshness and that naturally savoury side Cabernet Franc can do so well.

For us, that makes it far more useful at the table.

What does Boron Cabernet Franc taste like?

In the glass, the wine is an intense red, immediately suggesting something with a little more presence than a very light everyday red.

The nose is where it gets particularly interesting.

Boron describes it as powerful and complex, with a distinctly vinous character. Alongside that comes an elegant herbal note and delicate raspberry fruit.

That combination works extremely well.

The raspberry gives the wine freshness and an immediately recognisable fruit character, while the herbal side stops it becoming simple or overly fruity.

Take a sip and the wine feels balanced rather than aggressive.

There is enough structure to stand up to red meat and richer dishes, but it doesn’t feel like it is trying to overpower your dinner.

The finish is clean, savoury and satisfying, with the fruit and herbal character staying with you rather than disappearing after the first mouthful.

With around 4g/l of residual sugar and approximately 5.50g/l of total acidity, the overall impression is properly dry and nicely fresh.

It’s the sort of red that gets more interesting as you drink it rather than simply shouting at you from the first sip.

Cabernet Franc – but with a Veneto accent

Cabernet Franc is best known for its role in the great red wines of France, but it has also found a long-standing home in north-eastern Italy.

Boron grows theirs around Annone Veneto, in the eastern part of Veneto.

The result is a wine that still shows the characteristics people enjoy in Cabernet Franc – red fruit, herbs, freshness and savoury depth – but in a style that feels very natural at an Italian dinner table.

It isn’t trying to imitate Bordeaux.

And it doesn’t need to.

This has its own personality.

If you already like Cabernet Franc, it’s an interesting chance to see how the grape behaves in Veneto. If you usually buy Cabernet Sauvignon instead, this is a good way to discover something a little more aromatic and herb-led without moving too far away from familiar territory.

Made by the Boron family in Veneto

The Boron family’s winemaking story goes back to 1954.

The winery is based in Loncon di Annone Veneto, in the Lison wine country of north-eastern Italy, where the family has built its reputation across several generations.

Today the winery combines that family experience with modern winemaking techniques and temperature-controlled fermentation.

We like that approach because the wines still feel like wines rather than technical exercises.

There’s a real sense that Boron understands when to intervene and when to leave the fruit alone.

Cabernet Franc already has plenty of personality, so there is no need to bury it under oak or turn it into something excessively powerful.

The raspberry and herbal character are allowed to remain at the centre of the bottle.

How is Boron Cabernet Franc made?

This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Franc grown at Annone Veneto.

The grapes are harvested towards the end of September, when they have had time to develop enough flavour, colour and structure.

After harvest, the grapes undergo traditional red-wine fermentation with the juice remaining in contact with the skins for around 8–10 days.

Fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature of approximately 24–27°C.

That skin contact extracts the colour, flavour and structure from the Cabernet Franc without pushing the wine too far.

The wine then completes malolactic fermentation, which helps soften the natural acidity and gives the finished red a more settled, harmonious feel.

After fermentation, it spends around four months in stainless steel followed by another three months in bottle.

There’s no oak ageing here.

That matters because it leaves the fresh raspberry and herbal character clear and uncluttered.

What should you eat with it?

Boron recommends Cabernet Franc with red meats and game, and that is exactly where we’d start.

For something simple, put it alongside a good steak. Cabernet Franc has enough structure for the beef, while the natural freshness helps cut through the fat and char rather than making everything feel heavier.

If you’re cooking something a little more special, try it with Beef Wellington. The combination of beef, mushroom duxelles and pastry benefits from a red that has savoury depth without being overloaded with oak.

It also makes sense with a traditional roast meat dinner, particularly beef or lamb with herbs, roast vegetables and gravy.

And if you want to take the game pairing in an Italian direction, pappardelle al cinghiale – pasta with wild boar ragù – is exactly the sort of rich, savoury dish this wine was made for.

We’d happily pour it with:

• Grilled steak
• Beef Wellington
• Roast beef
• Roast lamb
• Lamb chops
• Venison
• Wild boar
• Game casseroles
• Beef stew
• Beef ragù
• Wild boar ragù
• Herb-roasted meats
• Mushroom-rich meat dishes
• Mature hard cheeses

If you already know what you’re eating but still haven’t decided what to open, use our food and wine pairing guide. You can search hundreds of dishes and find wines that work with the meal rather than simply choosing by colour.

Who is this Cabernet Franc for?

If you like red wine with plenty of flavour but don’t want everything to taste of oak, vanilla and alcohol, this is worth a look.

The fruit is there, but it is raspberry rather than big jammy black fruit.

The herbal character gives it a slightly savoury edge.

And at 13% ABV, it has enough weight for dinner without wandering into heavyweight territory.

It should also appeal to anyone who enjoys Cabernet Sauvignon but wants something a little more aromatic and individual.

Cabernet Franc tends to have a fresher, more herbal personality, and Boron doesn’t try to hide that.

That’s exactly why we like it.

How should you serve it?

Serve Boron Cabernet Franc at around 16–18°C.

That doesn’t necessarily mean British room temperature.

If the bottle has been sitting in a warm kitchen, give it a short spell somewhere cooler before opening. Serving red wine too warm can flatten the fruit and make the alcohol feel more obvious.

A normal red-wine glass is perfectly good.

Give it a little space in the glass and allow the raspberry and herbal notes to open naturally.

There’s no need for an elaborate decanting ritual.

Wine details

Producer: Famiglia Boron / Azienda Agricola Boron
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Area: Annone Veneto
Grape: 100% Cabernet Franc
Classification: Venezia DOC
Style: Dry Italian red wine
ABV: 13%
Colour: Intense red
Aroma: Vinous and complex with elegant herbal nuances and delicate raspberry
Taste: Balanced, structured and characterful
Residual sugar: Approximately 4.00g/l
Total acidity: Approximately 5.50g/l
Serving temperature: 16–18°C
Food pairing: Red meats and game
Harvest: End of September
Vinification: 8–10 days of skin maceration at controlled temperature followed by malolactic fermentation
Ageing: Four months in stainless steel followed by three months in bottle
Winery: Boron family winemaking tradition since 1954

Why we chose it

There are plenty of Cabernet-based wines that seem determined to prove how powerful they are.

This isn’t one of them.

Boron Cabernet Franc has character, but it also has balance.

The raspberry fruit makes it immediately approachable, the subtle herbal side gives it something more interesting to say, and the lack of heavy oak means you can actually taste the grape.

At 13% ABV, it has enough substance for steak, roast meat and game while remaining perfectly comfortable to drink over dinner.

Most importantly, it tastes like Cabernet Franc rather than a wine that has been polished until all the personality has disappeared.

If you like savoury, fruit-led reds with a little herbal character, this is a very easy bottle to recommend.

And if you fancy comparing it with something else, browse our Italian red wine collection for more bottles from family producers across Italy.