Blending Partnerships

Which side of the argument are you on? Are the best wines produced from a single varietal or a blend of two or more varieties.

ACalifornian Cabernet Sauvignon drinker will insist that the structure and flavour in a powerful Napa Valley Cab is unbeatable and a white Burgundy lover will tell you that complexity doesn’t come much better than in the form of an exquisitely balanced Chardonnay from the limestone soils of the Cote d’Or. There is no doubt that a wine such as Joseph Pascal’s Bourgogne Chardonnay is a superb wine with its mineral freshness and mouth filling richness and the perfect match to creamy dishes such as fish pie or a mushroom risotto.

However, in other regions such as Bordeaux and the southern Rhone, the best wines have always been produced from two or more varieties. Nobody can argue that the First and Second Growth clarets are among the world’s finest reds and yet are almost always a blend of Cabernet with Merlot and sometimes a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot added to the mix!

A St Emilion Grand Cru from the right bank of the river Gironde will be mainly Merlot with a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and / or Cabernet Franc included to add structure and tannin to the wines. This will vary from vintage to vintage depending on conditions and it is down to the skill of the winemaker to create the best blend from the grapes harvested. Try St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Boutisse for an example of a perfect blend of more two varieties.

One of the more unusual is the blend of Syrah and Viognier. Most commonly found in Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone where the very poor granite soils help to produce wines of immense structure. Historically the two varieties were planted together and the winemakers found that this ‘field blend’ actually worked really well. The Viognier actually enhances the colour of the Syrah rather than diluting it. The chemical compounds in the Viognier grapes help to stabilise and retain the colour of the Syrah. Viognier has distinctive aromas of peach and spice, which adds an extra dimension to the blackberry, plum, tobacco and sometimes farmyard character of the Syrah. It also gives a silky texture to the wine.

The Portuguese version from Alentejo (Telhas) is the same blend. Telhas is the Portuguese word for tiles and refers to remnants of terracotta tiles found in the vineyards. The wine is produced from grapes grown in a small ridge of granite vineyards, selected especially for planting these two varieties. The grapes are cofermented and aged in French oak. At about a third of the price of Cote Rotie, it has similar delicately perfumed aromas and the same savoury, black fruit, cedar and spicy flavours.

A rare white partnership is that of Chardonnay with Sauvignon Blanc. Most wine drinkers favour one or the other but the Basic Instinct sulphite free white is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. There is no oak involved, fermentation takes place in concrete lined tanks and there is no sulphur added at any point in the winemaking process. It has wonderfully fresh aromas of white flowers and citrus which follow on to flavours of peach and melon finishing with a citrus freshness. A less well known but successful partnership.

Whichever side of the fence you find yourself on, there will be plenty of good wines to enjoy. Why not sit on the top and simply jump down to whichever side you choose each time?!