Blending Wines
Blended
wines are a symphony of grapes. Individual instruments can create beautiful
music, but blended together in an orchestra, the music becomes more enjoyable. Blends
are some of the most complex and interesting types of wine. In order to learn
more about the process, we will be presenting an interactive tasting, led by
award winning wine maker Terry Germanoski.
We will
have the opportunity to create our own white wine blend, and have that blend
evaluated. We will be presented with
several single varietal wines, and the rest is up to us. Terry will give us some general tips and
guidelines, but the final result is your decision!
Specific
details (cost, etc.) will follow soon.
Save the date!
Here
are the 5 facts you need to know:
1.
The difference between varietals and blends: A standard varietal like Malbec,
Chardonnay etc., is made from the same type of grape. Sometimes winemakers will
use grapes from different plots of a vineyard or different regions for a
varietal, but they are all the same type of grapes. In the U.S. a varietal
needs to be 75 percent of one type of grape, while in Europe it’s generally 80
percent and in Argentina it’s 85 percent. It’s possible for wineries to add
other grapes to a varietal to enhance the elements and still call it a single
varietal wine.
Blends are
what their name suggests. They typically consist of at least 40-50 percent of
one type of grape and a smaller mix of two or more other grapes.
2.
Blending makes wines more complex: Blending is used to maximize the characteristics of a
wine. It can enhance aromas, color, texture, body and finish, making it a more
complex wine. If a wine doesn’t have a strong scent, for example, a winemaker
can add five percent of a more potent smelling grape and can experiment with
different types of varietals coming from other vineyards. They could have been
aged in oak barrels, fermented in various kinds of vessels or just harvested in
different phases of ripeness.
Creating
the perfect blend also depends on the characteristics of the year and the
expression of each grape. The possibilities of combinations that result in a
quality blend are endless.
3.
Some single varietals are made for blending: Winemakers will often make a batch
of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay or other wines solely for the purpose
of blending. As the grapes are being harvested, a winemaker determines what
they think will be the best formula for a blend. Allotting specific barrels for
blending allows them to experiment in finding the best types of mixtures. The
idea is to highlight each grape’s strength and complement the other grapes
being used in the blend.
4.
The timeline for mixing wines varies: Winemakers mix blends in a steel tank. Lower cost
blends are rarely aged in oak. Some winemakers put blended wines into an oak
barrel half way through the aging process, while others put the wines together
one to two weeks before bottling. Some try letting the wines ferment together
from start to finish. Again, the goal is to develop the best of everything in
the wines and each winery determines what approach works best for them.
5.
Some grapes aren’t used for blending: White wines tend to be pure varietals. However,
there are some exceptions, particularly in certain regions in Europe where two
or more white grapes are used. We will
be experimenting with some of those wines during our tasting event.
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