Tag Archives: zinfandel

Wine Blends: For Better or For Worse?

The first time someone asked me at one of my wine tasting events why blends were lower quality than single varietal wines, I was taken by surprise. It never occurred to me at the time that this perception even existed. After all, some of my favorite wines, and some of the most prestigious wines in the world, are blends.

After giving it some more thought, I realized this may be more a “New World” perception. After all, some of the most highly reputed wines from the U.S. are labeled as single varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, etc.. Meanwhile, blends are relegated to a small section of the wine shop labeled with the generic term “Blends” and some may not even have grape varieties listed on the label. Many of those wines are also inexpensive mass market labels – Apothic Red, 19 Crimes, etc.

Classic Blends

On the other hand, in classic wine countries in the Old World, they embrace blends.

Bordeaux, France: Reds are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and/or Malbec; whites are blends of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and/or Muscadelle.
Southern Rhone, France: Reds are blends of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and/or more than a dozen other grape varieties; whites are blends of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Rousanne, and/or many others.
Champagne, France: Often blends of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with some Pinot Meunier; and/or blends of vintages.
Rioja, Spain: Blends of Tempranillo with Graciano, Mazuelo and other varietals.
Priorat, Spain: Blends of Grenache and Carignan with other varietals.
Toscana & Bogheri, Italy: “Super Tuscans” are blends of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot, other varietals

There are many more high quality wine blends on the market than you may realize!

What many don’t know is that many wines in the U.S. that are labeled as single varietals are actually blends. We have very few wine laws in the U.S., but one of the major ones says that only 75% of a grape variety is required to label a wine as a single varietal. So your bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon may very well be a Bordeaux style blend with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and/or Petit Verdot included. Your California Pinot Noir may have a little Syrah or Merlot added for deeper color. Your Zinfandel may be a field blend where old Zinfandel vines were planted with a mix of other varieties and they’re all picked and vinified at the same time.

An exception to the 75% rule is Willamette Valley, Oregon, which set a stricter law for Pinot Noir that 90% of grapes must be Pinot Noir to be labeled as such.

Why are wines blended?

When we look at the myriad of reasons why a winemaker would blend a wine, the result can be a wine of higher quality and complexity than single varietals, but can also be an inexpensive mass market wine.

Balance: Grapes may be blended to create a more balanced, higher quality wine. For example, grapes from warmer areas that have higher sugar and flavor levels may be blended with grapes from cooler areas that bring balancing acidity.
Complexity: Blending can bring together different characteristics that add complexity of flavors and aromas to make a more interesting and higher quality wine.
Consistency: Winemakers may try to minimize bottle or vintage variation by blending wines to achieve a specific profile year over year. This is usually done by producers of inexpensive high-volume wines, but is also done with most Sherries and Champagnes.
Style: Winemakers blend to achieve a desired style. For example, many big label Champagnes (e.g., Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Moet & Chandon Imperial, etc.) are designed in a “house style” to achieve a specific flavor profile each year. Some rosés are a blend of red and white grapes to give the winemaker greater control over the final color and flavor profile.
Price: To be profitable and reduce costs, some winemakers may blend in a portion of less expensive grapes. In places like the U.S., if it’s less than 25% of the blend, these grapes don’t even need to be identified on the label. For example, cheaper Semillon may be added to reduce the price of Chardonnay wines.
Volume: Producers of high volumes wines, or holders of very small vineyards, may need to purchase wine or grapes from others and blend them together to increase the volume of their production.
Minimize faults: It is possible that wines will be blended to hide faults. For example, if one barrel became slightly oxidized, it may be blended with larger volumes of good wine until that oxidized character is diluted.

What types of blends are there?

When most people think about blends, they assume it only means blending different grape varieties together. In fact, there are several other ways to create a blend:

Grapes from different locations (vineyards, regions, countries)
Grapes, juice or wine purchased from different growers or businesses
Wines from different vintages (very common with Champagne, Sherry, etc.)
Wines that have been treated differently in the winery (e.g. wines aged in oak blended with wines made in stainless steel or concrete)
Wines that have been treated the same in the winery, but are stored in different vessels (e.g. wines stored in small barrels must be blended together before bottling to make up required volume)

Recommendations:

So the next time you’re concerned that your blend is lower quality, think again. Shy away from the inexpensive mass market brands and veer toward the classics and more reputable producers:

Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc ($18)
Daou Pessimist ($22)
Bodegas LAN Gran Reserva Rioja ($25)
Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat ($26)
Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Sparkling Wine ($26)
Chateau de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet de Beaucastel ($28)

Old Vines: Better Quality or Marketing Hype?

At times you will see a wine label boasting the term, “Old Vines” or in France, “vieilles vignes”. It promptly begs a number of questions: How old is “old”? Does it mean the wine is better quality because the vines are old? What difference does the age of the vine make?

Although consumers may perceive this term to indicate a higher quality wine, “Old Vines” is essentially a marketing term. It is not a legally protected labeling term anywhere in the world. This means that anyone can use it on any wine they want without needing to meet any specific vine age requirements at all. The vines may be 20 years old, 100 years old, or may even be brand new and only have a small amount of old vine wine blended in.

That is not to say it is an entirely untrustworthy term. I would always suggest checking the producer’s website to see what they mean by their use of “Old Vines” on the label. For example, one of my favorite Old Vine producers, Bedrock Wine Co., explains that their Bedrock Heritage Wine is from 120-year-old vines. However, Bota Box sells an Old Vine Zinfandel and you won’t find any information at all on their website about vine age.

Lifespan of a Vine

When a new vine is planted, it will take up to five years until that vine produces sufficient quality fruit for wine production. After 20-30 years, a vine begins its decline and starts producing lower yields of fruit. At this point, many growers will replace these vines in an effort to maintain wine production levels. It also gives growers an opportunity to change vineyard layouts, plant different grapes, and otherwise take advantage of new vineyard technology or meet changing market demands. That’s all assuming the vine lives this long and doesn’t succumb earlier to pests, disease, drought, extreme weather events, or other hazards.

For these reasons, not all wines are made from Old Vines. It is even rarer to find old vines that are a century or more old. This is because vineyard regions around the world were decimated in the late 1800s/early 1900s by an infestion of a root louse called phylloxera that feasted on vine roots, killing them swiftly. Only a handful of places in the world escaped the devastation, either through quarantine or inhospitable sandy soils. The only solution was to replant vineyards everywhere with European grape vines grated onto American rootstocks immune to phylloxera.

However, vines have the ability to live a very long life. In fact, the oldest still-producing grapevine in the world can be found in Slovenia. It is a whopping 400 years old, and was planted at the end of the Middle Ages.

Are Old Vines Better?

It is widely believed that Old Vines produce higher quality fruit and therefore better wines. Some would argue it’s a matter of survival of the fittest – old vines are the hardiest, healthiest and best quality producers in the vineyard, so they weren’t pulled.

While likely true, these vines produce better quality fruit because they are old. As a vine ages, the canopy (leaves) become thinner, allowing more sunlight exposure to the fruit for ripening. Old vines also produces less fruit. Lower fruit yields per vine means the vine can focus its energy on ripening fewer bunches. Those bunches become more concentrated and flavorful, producing better wines.

Wine from Old Vines is generally described as having excellent fruit concentration with soft tannins and high acid

Why is there so much Old Vine Zinfandel?

Old vines can be of just about any grape variety. However, we usually see old vine Zinfandel in California based on the state’s history. California is a fairly young wine producing region. Varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay were only planted in the last few decades. However, Zinfandel was brought into the state during the Gold Rush and planted everywhere. At one time, it was the most widely planted grape variety in the state.

There are plenty of places where vineyards had essentially been abandoned during Prohibition because it was too costly to pull them and replant with other agriculture. That left a ton of Zinfandel vines in the ground that were “rediscovered” in more recent decades as old vines. In fact, there is so much old vine Zinfandel in California that you can find these bottles at quite low prices.

Recommendations

Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel ($16) – some vineyard blocks up to 120 yrs old
Carol Shelton Wild Thing Old Vine Zinfandel ($20) – 60 yr old vines
Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel ($25) – vines average 80 yrs old
Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel ($35) – vines average 75 yrs old

Best Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving

The holiday season is a time of revelry, celebration and most of all, gluttony! There is nothing more heart-warming than gathering around the holiday table with family and friends to enjoy an enormous meal prepared with love, except when that meal is also paired with the best wines for the holidays.

However, it is particularly difficult to pair wines with holiday meals because no two tables are the same, and no two meals are prepared the same way. The main course could be turkey, ham, lamb or prime rib. Side dishes can span a huge range of flavors, like sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing and cranberry sauce. There can be international dishes from regions like Asia and Mexico. Not to mention the endless variety of spices to flavor everything.

Food should take center stage on the holidays, which means any wine pairing should compliment the meal and not fight for all of the attention. The best approach to selecting a wine for your holiday table is to choose a versatile, food-friendly wine that pairs well with many different dishes, and to select wines that most of your guests will enjoy. Here are some excellent holiday wine pairings.

The Chook Sparkling Shiraz NV, $15

Before you reach for that bottle of champagne, consider surprising your guests with a glass of bubbly they have probably never tasted before, and may not even know exists! The Chook Sparkling Shiraz is a red sparkling wine from Australia. It is dry, medium-bodied and bubbling over with juicy plum, blueberry and chocolate flavors. It is both soft and refreshing with velvety bubbles, and pairs astonishingly well with holiday meals, especially roasted poultry and meats. This is a fresh and vibrant wine to kick off your holiday celebration, and should be enjoyed well-chilled and served in champagne flutes.

Famille Hugel Classic Riesling 2017, $20

When most people think of Riesling, they think of sweet white wines. However, Rieslings are made with a range of sugar levels from completely dry to lusciously sweet. This Famille Hugel Classic Riesling from Alsace, France is a dry, light-bodied wine with ripe fruit flavors and aromas of pear, apricot, green apple and lemon. The refreshingly high levels of mouth-watering acidity in this wine make it an excellent pairing option with lighter foods such as fish and turkey. It also beautifully compliments spicier dishes, like curries, as well as hard-to-pair vegetables including mushrooms and asparagus.

The Hilt Chardonnay Santa Barbara 2015, $27

Chardonnay is an excellent choice for your holiday table, but it must be the right style of Chardonnay. Many Chardonnays, especially those from California, tend to be overly oaky and buttery. This style can easily overwhelm the delicate flavors of turkey, white potatoes and other fixings. The better choice is a more restrained style of Chardonnay like The Hilt Chardonnay 2015 from the cooler central coast of Santa Barbara, CA. This wine has a bright, flinty minerality with rich flavors of lemon, pineapple and peach rounded out by delicate floral notes and aromas of honey and nuts. It has a touch of light oak to give it structure, but the oak is well-integrated and does not overwhelm the fruity, floral characters of this gorgeous wine.

The Four Graces Pinot Noir 2017, $20

Pinot Noir is much like Chardonnay in that the style of wine will determine whether or not it’s a good pairing for your holiday meal. Some Pinot Noirs can be big, rich and jammy with higher levels of mouth-drying tannins that can overpower your taste buds and reduce your ability to fully enjoy the variety of flavors on the table. Medium-bodied Pinot Noirs from cooler regions like Oregon and Burgundy will better pair with a wider variety of foods. The Four Graces Pinot Noir 2017 is from the cool Willamette Valley in Oregon. The wine has bright red fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry and cranberry with just enough pepper and smokey notes to balance the fruit. Its bright acidity cuts through richer dishes, while the smooth tannins don’t overwhelm dishes with more subtle flavors.

Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch Russian River Valley 2016, $50

Zinfandel is the perfect crowd-pleaser – both fruity and spicy, and balanced by soft tannins. It is supremely tasty without being overbearing. The richer, fruit-forward nature of Zinfandel pairs well with anything from turkey to beef, white potatoes to sweet potatoes, stuffing to cranberry sauce, and it accentuates sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Wow your guests with a truly outstanding bottle of Carlisle Papera Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel 2016. This wine is elegant, yet powerful, with complex flavors of blueberry, cherry, chocolate, tobacco and pepper. The refined fruit and silky tannins make this a stand-out wine that your guests will notice, but it won’t take all of the spotlight away from that delicious holiday meal.

Fonseca 20 Year Tawny Port, $40

No holiday meal is complete without a sinfully delectable dessert, or three. Hold off on pouring the coffee until after dessert. Instead, pair those pies, cakes and pastries with a Fronseca 20 Year Tawny Port. After aging in oak barrels for 20 years, this port has developed a rich amber color with complex flavors of dried cherries, fig, raisins, caramel, cinnamon, honey and sweet tobacco. All of those rich flavors accentuate a variety of sweet and nutty holiday desserts like pecan pie, almond cake, caramel cheesecake, creme brulee, cherry pie, chocolate mousse, dark chocolate layer cake and more!

Happy holidays!

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