uncorked
During a Wines of the Pacific Rim (WinPac) tasting some years back, a prominent member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux was trying a range of wines from a Chilean winery. First, he tasted the cabernet sauvignon, then the merlot. Declaring them both somewhat poor, he proceeded to combine them in a single glass. This blending exercise, he triumphed, created a superior wine - a wine greater than the sum of its parts.
Blending remains one of the wine industry's most vociferous topics of debate. It must be argued that almost all of the world's finest wines are made by blending - in the same manner as the world's finest tea, coffee, cognac and even tobacco. Yet wine-labelling trends, particularly in the New World, might suggest otherwise.
While only the expert would know a Chateauneuf-du-Pape comprises as many as 13 grape varieties, none of which is likely to be mentioned on even the back label, New World wine labels are as user-friendly as possible. They clearly state what it is assumed the consumer cares about most: grape variety, country of origin and the name of the producer - in that order.
This predilection for naming a single grape variety for the sake of consumer ease is widely believed to be one of the foundations of New World success. But this style of labelling conceals something more complex.
A while ago, Daniel Schuster, who owns an eponymous winery in New Zealand, arrived in Hong Kong with a range of barrel samples. The samples had something in common: they were all pinot noir. But the vinified grapes had come from a range of vineyards with varying aspects and from vines of varying ages. Schuster proceeded to split his audience into small groups and asked each group
to blend the samples to create what they thought was the most balanced pinot noir - just as he does at home.
It is clear, then, that even a label stating a single grape variety is highly likely to be on a blend. Regulations vary from country to country, but if a bottle declares itself to be a chardonnay, as much as 25 per cent could be a selection of other grapes. Even a 2004 vintage might have been blended with a little from 2003.
But this trend may be changing. Consumers of Californian wine are now comfortable enough to buy a 'Meritage' (Bordeaux blend), and in Australia, wine enthusiasts would know that Charles Melton's Nine Popes is a southern Rhone blend in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape style (those who can translate from the French would have an advantage here). While top northern Rhone producers have been pulling up their viognier and planting additional syrah, syrah producers from other regions have embraced the tradition, such as Monte D'Oiro in Portugal's Estremadura region. The addition of a little white grape juice does not affect the overall taste, but it does lift the nose.
Blending is not trickery, deception or arrogance. It is the process by which the best, most balanced wine can be created.
