To blend, or not to blend, one of the creative questions every winemaker must ask!
Winemaking, as you know I’ve been exploring over the past few weeks, requires a tremendous amount of creativity including whether to blend or not! Many of us who are frequent consumers of U.S. made wines, probably think we’ve never really had a blend. I’m about to dispel that myth once and for all! Almost every wine you’ll drink from the U.S. is blended – now let’s dive deeper into what that actually means!
This past weekend, my wine partner in crime Charisse Henry and I took a field trip to Valley Mills Vineyards on the north end of the Texas Hill Country. I’ve been stalking their 2021 Garnacha since getting a sneak tasting peek of the wine last year and learning it would bottle early this summer. When we stopped by a few weeks ago, it wasn’t yet bottled so of course I invited myself to help speed the process by participating in bottling day! As a true Missouri girl, I played a little Huckleberry Finn on my dear friend and partner in wine crime, Charisse Henry, and drug her along for the adventure!
Valley Mills Vineyards has become one of my favorite Texas wineries and winemaker Joey Bagnasco and his team are leading the pack of wineries focusing on varietals which thrive in the hot Texas summers. This year’s new Zephyr blend attests not only to this principle, it takes it a step further by blending multiple varietals into a light, but aromatic and fun, red blend! Count me in! (Listen below as Joey explains the process for blending both Zephyr and their newly released 2021 Tempranillo)
To blend or not to blend, ok what exactly is a blend?!
Bottom line, most of us are traditionalists and drink a lot of varietal specific wines. What do I mean by that, you ask? We want a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Merlot. What many people do not realize, however, is that U.S. wine laws allow up to 25% of that bottle of Chard, Cab or Merlot to be another grape varietal or varietals altogether! What?! Are you kidding me? Yes, my friends, it’s true! What you may actually be drinking could be 3/4 Chard, Cab or Merlot and 1/4 who knows what!
Why on earth would this be allowed? Again, let’s go back to the creative license U.S. wine laws and regulations afford winemakers. And, most importantly, let’s keep in mind we’re the actual beneficiary of these creative decisions! If a winemaker feels his/her harvest and fermentation has led to a Cab which is too big, too tannic and too low in acidity, he or she can add a little Merlot, Cab Franc or any other varietal(s) up to 25% to balance the resulting wine out to exactly what is desired. Anything the original wine lacks or has too much of can be balanced with other varietals. Creative license at it’s best!
Blends are amazing and some of my favorite wines are blends of really cool grape varietals that may not necessarily shine on their own. Think of it like a band – great lead singer, great drummer or great bass player, but alone, the music doesn’t really strike a chord with us (pun absolutely intended!). Put them all together on stage and magic is created. Same goes for wine – blends, even 5% of another varietal added, can create a magical experience only winemakers can concoct in the process.
I think it’s time to pop a bottle and see for ourselves how much the simple question ”to blend, or not to blend” can impact our wine experience!
Cheers! I 🍷
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