Vive la différence: the art of French wine blending

I often get asked by visitors whether a blended wine is of lower quality. This is usually asked by people used to New World wines which are labelled by grape variety. When I worked in New Zealand, there was a preference for wines from a single grape variety, known as a ‘varietal’ wine. I think this bias comes from those familiar with whisky and the preference for Single Malts. Other products, such as coffee, also tend to place single varieties above blends, which are seen as the leftovers. 

However, many of the most desirable wines in the world are made from a blend of grape varieties. 

Bordeaux nearly always contains Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with the possible addition of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Rioja is blended from Grenache and Tempranillo and Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be a blend of up to 13 different grape varieties. Those regions have a long history of growing different grape varieties to achieve their characters, which are now enshrined in their appellation rules, making it impossible to produce wines bearing the AOP that are single varietals.

Some grape varieties go well together and some don't. The Mediterranean trilogy of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre evolved over centuries and form the basis of many southern French AOPs such as Fitou, Gigondas and Collioure. Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc work perfectly together to create crisp yet weighty white wines in the Bordeaux region. Meanwhile other French regions, notably Burgundy and Alsace, tend to focus on single variety wines. Riesling doesn't seem to work very well in blends and the subtle characters of Pinot noir are easily hidden by other grapes. Several southern varieties are considered supporting grapes and rarely found on their own. Examples include Carignan, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Vermentino. 

Blending achieves a number of things. It can be used to achieve the consistency required for big brands and non-vintage Champagnes. Négociants will buy from a number of producers in a region, each of whose wines may have a particular strength or weakness but which can be combined to make a consistent, enjoyable wine. A cheap batch from one producer can be bolstered by the addition of a percentage of a more alcoholic or richer wine from another. 

Another use of blending is to reduce or disguise faults such as volatile acidity, which makes the wine smell vinegary, or aldehyde, which smells of nail-polish remover. It’s possible to blend otherwise undrinkable wines into larger amounts of cleaner wine to reduce their faults to the point where they are not detectable. Reduction, often caused by a lack of oxygen or nitrogen compounds during fermentation, can make wine smell like burnt rubber. However, combining a reduced wine with an oxidised wine can disguise both faults and produce a rebalanced, complex wine. 

Reasons for blending

Blending can be used to balance the body, acidity or tannin levels. A high-acid white can be used to increase the vivacity of a flabby one. A red with plenty of tannins, such as the final pressings, can be used to add body to a thinner one. The reverse is also true. Sometimes a small percentage of white wine is added to a red wine to reduce tannins and add a little fruitiness. One famous example of this practice is in the Northern Rhône, where white Viognier is added to red Syrah, often during the fermentation. It helps to bind the colour as well as reduce the astringency of the tannins. 

At the high-quality end, skilful blending of grape varieties, or the same variety from different vineyard plots, helps to create wines with a balance and complexity missing from a single vineyard wine. French examples include the top Bordeaux chateaux like Mouton-Rothschild, Châteuneuf-du-Pape and the grands crus of the Languedoc and Roussillon. In the New World, Opus One and Penfold’s Grange are highly acclaimed blended wines. When wineries age their wine in oak barrels, they often choose a selection of barrels from different coopers with different toast levels. They may also blend wines from barrels of different ages to balance out the effect of the new oak. Much of the blending decision can be made in advance through experience but the final blends are usually the result of tasting several options. 

Under most Appellation and regionally-labelled (IGP) wines, blending is only permitted within the rules of geography and grape variety. AOP wines have much stricter rules on blending varieties than IGP wines. However, in recent years, mainly to allow producers to compete with New World wines which have very few regulations on blending, some new AOPs have been introduced, such as AOP Languedoc which allows blends to be created from vineyards spreading from the Spanish border to the banks of the Rhône. There is also the new category called Vin de France, which as well as replacing the lowest quality level Vin de Table, allows innovative producers to experiment by blending wines (legally) from different regions and grape varieties with virtually no restrictions.

One form of blending that is prohibited in Europe is the blending of red and white wines to make rosé. French rosé is always made from lightly macerated red grapes, sometimes with the addition of white grapes, but never from finished red and white wine. 

Blending is an art. Whether it is to create something drinkable from poor quality wines or to reach heights of elegance of the top wine of a prestigious estate. It is done by experts with heightened senses of taste and smell and thorough understanding of what is to be achieved. 

Cellar masters are chosen for their ability to blend by taste, or specialist consultants are brought in to design wines that will meet the requirements of the chosen market, be that a supermarket chain, a bulk wine for restaurants, a prestigious estate wine designed to age beautifully over decades or a special cuvée that will win medals at competitions to raise the profile of the producer. It's an interesting but challenging job and essential to get right. You can't un-blend a wine if you make a mistake!

Jonathan Hesford has a Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology from Lincoln University, New Zealand and is the owner, vigneron and winemaker of Domaine Treloar in the Roussillon. If you have questions on this wine column, email info@domainetreloar.com