14.4 Blending

Question 1

What is blending?

Answer 1

the mixing together of two or more batches of wine

Question 2

When can blending take place?

Answer 2

• at any time during the winemaking process

- most often just prior to finishing (stabilisation) and packaging

Question 3

What types of wines can be blended?

Answer 3

• from different grape varieties
• from different locations (vy, region, country)
• from different grape growers or businesses)
• from different vintages
• parcels made differently (small/large oak; press fractions )
• parcels made the same but stored separately (possibly different barrels).

Question 4

For an EU wine to be labelled with a PDO, how much of the grapes must come from the defined geographical area?

Answer 4

100%

Question 5

Explain the objectives of blending

Answer 5

1. balance
   enhance/improve quality
   if from diff climates to tune acid levels
   add fruit char, texture (cab sauv + merlot)
2. consistency
   esp nb across years as in sherry, non-vintage sparkling wine, and also in hi vol inexp wines
3. style
   to produce a house style
   to produce a “portfolio of styles” from one vineyard
   to produce a rose wine
4. complexity
   to deliver a range of flavours - enh complexity
5. minimize faults
   e. g. wine with high volatile acidity will be sterile filtered and then added to a high vol qty of unfaulty wine.
6. volume
   combine wines from small vineyards and achieve required vol.
   to complement volumes after a poor vintage
7. price
   to meet a price point might blend parcels e.g. chard+ trebbiano or semillon note in this case the “chard” is the selling point

Question 6

Give an example of blending partners commonly used to achieve balance.

Answer 6

• Merlot provides body and ripe, plummy fruit to a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, which, when not fully ripe, can be too astringently tannic on its own.

Question 7

Why might a producer choose not to blend?

Answer 7

• grapes comes single vineyard -maintain character of the fruit and/or quality of wine
• term ‘single vineyard’ on the label can also make the wine seem more rare and distinctive
• to retain varietal character (Riesling SB)

Question 8

Describe the blending process.

Answer 8

• cylinders and small volumesto determine the desired proportions for the blend
• then adopt on larger scale
• blender needs to consider how blend will age
• requires a high level of skill and experience.

Question 9

When is blending best carried out? Why?

Answer 9

Before stabilisation

• in case any instabilities arise from the blend
  (e. g. tartrate stability is dependent on pH level, and this can be altered by blending wines with different pH levels)