Wine Knowledge: Wine Blends

By Robert Sox
August 1, 2013

Wines made from a blend of different grapes are big sellers today.  Blends can be red or white but the red blends have been on the move.  California brands with catchy names and artistic labels like Apothic Red or Stark Raving Red hit a price point and flavor profile that appeal to many people.  It also can make for an easier shopping decision.  Instead of trying to decide whether you want a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or something else, a blend signals that somebody else has made a judgment on what is good and put it in one bottle.  That may or may not be true (whether it is good) but it does send that signal. 

Many California blends are Zinfandel based which gives the wines juicy, fruit-forward flavor profiles.  These wines often come with higher alcohol levels, adding a little extra punch to the taste.  Wines like this are great for just easy, casual wine enjoyment with or without food, but I do like these with the usual summer fare of cheeseburgers or ribs off the grill.

Beyond these fun California red blends, though, there are many traditional wines that are blends.  Blends are not new, as many people seem to think.  Maybe the most classic wine of all, French Bordeaux, is a blend.  Bordeaux wines are a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but usually also blended with one or more of Malbec, Petite Verdot, Carmenere, and Cabernet Franc.  French law specifies that for a wine to be called Bordeaux it must only use some combination of those grapes.  You won’t see Zinfandel added to a Bordeaux.  

A wine classified as a Meritage is a different kind of blend from California.  And first things first – the pronunciation of this word.  98% of the time, people say it like it is French, accenting the last syllable and saying it like you say garage.  Wrong.  The word is not French.  The winning entry from a naming contest, Meritage refers to a wine made in California that was produced using the same grape varietals as in French Bordeaux.   Merit and heritage were combined to create Meritage as in we want to give merit to our heritage.  Say it like you do heritage.  Just a little pet peeve of mine.  Meritage wines are more heavy duty than the Zin based blends like Apothic, usually drier, and are good wines to serve with a nice meal.

Sometimes you are drinking a blend even when you think you’re not.  You may buy a bottle that says Cabernet Sauvignon on the bottle, but in reality it may, by law, have up to 25% of other grape varietals in it and still be called a Cabernet.  Winemakers use other grapes to shape the wine into their own style and often to produce a wine that has a consistent taste year after year, especially important for the big brand names.  You will see some wines listed as 100% of a grape but that doesn’t guarantee it will be better, it’s just more information. 

As always, it is up to your particular taste of what is good to you.  So keep drinking blends, whether it is a fun California combo, a serious Bordeaux, or a Meritage (rhymes with heritage!)

Robert Sox
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Native of Columbia, SC.  Returned to Columbia area in 2004 after being away for school and work for 25 years.  Undergraduate degree from Clemson and MBA from University of NC at Chapel Hill.  Owner of the independently owned Best Bottle Wine and Gifts in Shoppes at Woodhill since 1985.

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