How-To: Tell What Wines are in a Blend

Americans like to know what wine they are drinking. While the Old World labels their wine based on region, sure in the knowledge that everyone knows the grape that ends up in a Burgundy or a Barolo, in the New World we want our wines to be labeled by the varietal.

In most cases, that's easy enough. But when it comes to blended wines, its not always so straight forward. A blend may be made up of a range of grapes, so the wine makers will often use a proprietary name useful for marketing, but not always informative. But there are tricks you can use to help pick out the grapes.

Look for typical styles: Bordeaux or Meritage blends are typical, made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Champagne will be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Labeled: Since Americans demand the info, many wine makers will include the list of varietals used. It may be hidden on the back label, but especially with New World wines it may be there.

Guess: If you know a bit about wine, you can start to guess what grapes make up a blend. In a red wine, soft red fruit flavors might be a high percentage Merlot or Pinot Noir, while a buttery white wine might be based on a Chardonnay.

Quick Review: Castoro Cellars "East Meets West" 2012

US, CA, Castoro Cellars, East Meets West Reserve 2012

+ // Spicy // Clove, Old leather, Tobacco, Dried cherry // Cherry cola // Medium to full-bodied

Quick Review: Tess Winery Red & White Blend

US, CA, Napa, Tess Red&White Blend
++ // Spicy - Sweet // Maraschino cherry, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, Candied apple // Cinnamon, Cherry, Rose petals // Medium

Traditional Wine Blends

Sometimes a winemaker will blend varietals to make up for a weakness in the primary grape. But sometimes it's the style that they are going for:

• Bordeaux is the most well known wine blend. The world famous red wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, with maybe some Malbec, Petit Verdot, or Carmenere - all grown int he Bordeaux region of France. The white Bordeaux is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion. 
• Meritage is a blend of the same grapes as Bordeaux, but from wine regions outside of France.
• Champagne is another famous blend, usually Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, and often a blend of different vintages of grapes as well.
• The red wines from the Rhone regions of France, including the world famous Hermitage and Chateauneuf-du-Pape can be a blend of up to 21 different varietals.
• The reds wines from Rioja, Spain are usually a blend of Tempranillo and Grenache.
• While the traditional wines of the Tuscany DOCG are made from 100% Sangiovese, young producers created blends with other varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Syrah to revitalize the region with the now famous Super Tuscan wines.
• On the other hand, traditional Chianti wine allows for a blending in of other grapes, like Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, or even some white grapes.

Did You Know?... You Might be Drinking a Wine Blend

When you look at a bottle and see it labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon, you might think that you are getting nothing but the juice of Cabernet Sauvignon in your glass. But every wine growing region has rules for just how much of certain varietal needs to be present before you have to put it on the label or make clear it is a blend. A winemaker adds different grapes to a wine for a variety of reasons, usually to augment the primary grape, and usually in small enough quantities (1-2%) that it doesn't show up on the label.

Quick Review: Outer Limits CGM 2012

Chile, Colchagua Valley, Outer Limits CGM 2012
+ // Spicy // Blackberry, Old wood // Blackberry, Graphite, Cinnamon  // Full

A blended wine, made from Carignan, Granache and Mourvedre.
Aggressive right out of the bottle. Big flavors. Hot (high in alcohol content), but doesn't really taste like it.

Wine Wednesdays

We talk alot about using wine to make an evening special. But on a Wednesday night, with half a week of work remaining, we might turn to a good glass of wine to simply make the evening bearable.

Usually, we consider our wine and food pairing and try to plan an interesting meal for an interesting bottle of wine. But by mid-week, that can be hard to do. It is useful to have a few more flexible bottles lying around that will go with whatever you throw together for dinner. Blended wines offer you a comparatively neutral palate, with a mix of the flavors from multiple grapes. This is something easy to mix and match with a range of meals.

Cooking a real dinner mid-week can be overwhelming, so having a few simple recipes in your back pocket will help. Sometimes, a good crock pot stew can be lifesaver. You develop some deep flavors, and are still ready to eat as soon as you get home from work. Some beef, rice, tomatoes and some broccoli to round it out made for an loose take on Cuban Mofongo.

We picked a bottle of blended wine from Chile. A mix of Carignan, Grenache, and Mouverdre, we had no idea what to expect. But the complex mix of flavors from the mofongo--earthy, acidic, fatty, and a bit of green vegetable--meant we needed some complicated flavors from our wine. This blend of grapes gave us flavors of blackberries, with hints of graphite and cinnamon. The spice of the wine matched the hot pepper spice of the mofongo, while the flavors from the sweet and acidic tomato brought the sweet fruit of the wine to the forefront.

Blended wines are often mistaken for "table wines" (unless, of course, a Bordeaux). It is good to remember that winemakers might attempt to create a versatile blend of flavors that lend themselves to easier pairings... especially on those Wednesday nights where you just don't want to think too hard about it.

Quick Review: Bogle "Phantom" 2010

US, CA, Bogle "Phantom" 2010
+ // Smooth  // Chocolate, Leather, Cherry, Cloves, Nutmeg // Maraschino cherry, Leather, Pepper, Dark chocolate // Full

This is a Zinfandel. Whereas Italy has its Primitivo, California has the sister grape, the Zinfandel.

Quick Review: Gerard Bertrand Tautavel 2008

France, Sud de France, Gerard Bertrand Grand Terrior Tautavel 2008
+ // Smooth // Mushroom, Ink // Pearl, White Chocolate, Leather // Medium

A nice balance of flavors that cleansed the palate between bites.

Quick Review: Wines at Terrior Tribeca

France, Languedoc, Domaine La Roche Buissiere, "Petit Jo" (NV)
+ // Funky // Barnyard, Wet Forest, Cherry // Lush Fruit, Old Leather // Medium
Made with grapes from 70 year old vines.
 
Italy, Sicily, Frank Cornelissen, "Contadina 8" (NV)
+ // Funky // Old Gym Socks, Blueberry // Blueberry, Leather, Chocolate, Cedar // Medium
Very tart. Makes you want another sip.

Quick Review: Bogle Phantom 2009

US, CA, Bogle "Phantom," 2009
+ // Spicy // Strawberry, pepper, leather // Berry, pepper finish // Medium

A blend of zinfandel and petite sirah, with just a hint of mourvedre, the flavor was big, exploding in the mouth. Paired with sliders, the sweet and spiciness of the wine really complemented the meat.

What is ... Meritage Wine?

Meritage is a red blended wine in the same style as Bordeaux wines. As Bordeaux is a region in France in addition to a style of wine, it's a protected name and cannot be used outside of the approved region of France. "Meritage" is the name given to wines of the same style, made in the New World.

The blend can include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

Though often pronounced with a French twist, to rhyme with "garage", technically it should be pronounced like "heritage."

Quick Review: Benmarl Winery Slate Hill Red

US, NY, Hudson Valley, Benmarl Winery, Slate Hill Red 2011

++ // Spicy-Smooth // Leather, Dried Cherry // Earth, Pepper, Tobacco, a hint of Cherry // Light-Medium

Made from Long Island grapes, this was a very light red, especially for the flavor profile. The flavors were light and powerful, and could hold up to being served slightly chilled. An excellent, versatile table wine.

A humid day means our slightly chilled Slate Hill Red "sweats" a bit.

Quick Review: Glorie Farm Winery Red Quartet

US, NY, Hudson Valley, Glorie Farm Winery, Red Quartet 2011

+ // Earthy // Leather // Cherry, Tannins // Medium

A very drinkable wine, made from a blended quartet of Merlot, Chambourcin, and De Chaunac grapes--and the skill of the winemaker. Chambourcin and De Chaunac are great blending grapes, both are "hybrids" and particularly hearty against the perils of a colder climate.

Quick Review... Barrister “Rouge Justice”

US, WA, Barrister “Rouge Justice”
+ // Fruity, Earthy // Cherry, Leather // Chocolate, Jam, Plum // Medium

Elk stew & Barrister red

Holidays brought us some wonderful gifts from family. We try not to collect too many “things”, instead we love it when our family gives us “experiences”, and they managed to deliver a great one this year. A bottle of wine from Washington State, a package of frozen elk meat, and we were set for a wonderful evening at home. Elk may not be something normally associated with wine, since its hard to come by, but we have been experimenting with different pairings, and this presented us with another interesting challenge.

Best of 2011... Did You Know About Blended WInes?

This week, we are recapping some of our favorite things from the year...
 
I think the best thing we learned this year was how to appreciate Blended Wines. Between seeing the benefit in the Virginian wines to tasting the pure craftsmanship of world class Champagne it’s easy to see why blending grapes to get the perfect flavor can be a good thing.

Quick Review: Channing Daughters "Sylvanus"

 NY, Long Island, Channing Daughters “Sylvanus” 2010
++ // Crisp // Floral // Floral, Lemon, Butter // Light

Did you know? . . . Blended Wines

Americans like their wines label by the varietal. If we don’t know the grape as soon as we look at the name, we consider it a cheap drink. But French wines embrace the blending of grapes, as a way to control style. This is epitomized by Champagne, a wine that is always a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Petit Meunier. This is done so that the Champagne house can guarantee identical flavor from year to year, despite seasonal variations in the individual varietals. For other wines, its a way to augment the grapes, allowing a winemaker to avoid a “donut wine”--a wine with obvious holes in the flavor and body of the wine. Consider this time Bordeaux wine--wine made from a blend of grapes produced in the Bordeaux region in France. A blend lets a winemaker select the best elements from a range of grapes, and play to the strength of each, creating a better overall wine.  Like Champagne, this will allow for a more consistent wine from year to year, and gives you a better idea of what the wine will be like, even if you don’t know the particulars of the vintage year.