Blending red wines

[wineview]

What are some varieties of red wines that mix well together. I am looking at possibly getting Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chianti. Not all of them. Just throwing out some possibilities.
Thanks

 

[FermentoSapiens]

Both Syrah and Merlot blends well with Cabernet Sauvignon. They also blend well with Cabernet Franc. Canernet Sauvignon can also blend with Zinfandel. I think Pinot Noir is best alone in a red. For making a rose' Pinot Noir can be mixed with several grapes. I am not familiar with Chianti, so not shure what it can blend with.

 

[Ajmassa]

Chianti is usually already a blend in itself. Sangiovese eith Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and maybe some others I’m sure a quick google search could find. Or it can also be 100% Sangiovese.

assuming your talking about buying Chianti juice buckets since I know they sell that. but don’t know what’s actually in it. A Sangiovese blend I’d think since they also sell sangio juice.
Similar to the amarone vs valpolicello juice bucket questions.

 

[porkchopmessiah]

Chianti is usually already a blend in itself. Sangiovese eith Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and maybe some others I’m sure a quick google search could find. Or it can also be 100% Sangiovese.

assuming your talking about buying Chianti juice buckets since I know they sell that. but don’t know what’s actually in it. A Sangiovese blend I’d think since they also sell sangio juice.
Similar to the amarone vs valpolicello juice bucket questions.

So, I'm thinking sangiovese blended with and old vine zin for my fall harvest...66 sang 33 zin...what u think

 

[porkchopmessiah]

What are some varieties of red wines that mix well together. I am looking at possibly getting Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chianti. Not all of them. Just throwing out some possibilities.
Thanks

I did a cab zin blend last fall, just reaping the benefits, its truly the best wine I've made (small sample size) but I was pleased with it

 

[salcoco]

Chianti is actually a blend of Sangiovese and trebiano if they follow the rules, correct a white grape blended with red. A Super Tuscan is Cab Sauv with Sangiovese. other famous blends are Cab Sauv with Cab Franc and Merlot.

 

[tullamore]

barbera and petit sirah is one of my favorites, Melbec,Merlot and Tannat(South West France blend)
Sanjoiovese and sagratino is a great blend, Montepulciano and saniovese is another
a great spanish blend is Tempranillo,Grenache(spash of Carignan)
nebbiolo and barbera

 

[Ajmassa]

So, I'm thinking sangiovese blended with and old vine zin for my fall harvest...66 sang 33 zin...what u think

. Who knows. Its all relative. I think if you blend these up front or directly after fermentation ya can’t really go wrong. Otherwise if ya really wanted to get the perfect blend of these 2 would have to age separately and do blending bench trials to decide on an ideal ratio. I have yet to attempt something like that yet.
Sangiovese can be lighter so complimenting with a heavier varietal is a good move I think. And zin sounds as good as any

 

[sour_grapes]

Chianti is actually a blend of Sangiovese and trebiano if they follow the rules, correct a white grape blended with red. A Super Tuscan is Cab Sauv with Sangiovese. other famous blends are Cab Sauv with Cab Franc and Merlot.

They have basically turned the old DOCG rules on their head! Chianti - Wikipedia

Since 1996 the blend for Chianti and Chianti Classico has been 75–100% Sangiovese, up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 20% of any other approved red grape variety such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah. Since 2006, the use of white grape varieties such as Malvasia and Trebbiano have been prohibited in Chianti Classico.[12]

 

[DPCellars]

Last year, I did a small batch (co-ferment) of Cab and Pinot. I'm very new to winemaking, so figured... What the heck, it can't hurt. Holy cow. It turned out amazing.

 

[winemaker81]

If you want to stick to tried-n-true, do a web search on wine growing regions that do a lot of blending, like Bordeaux. Bordeaux blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère in a lot of different configurations.

Rhone includes Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and a bunch more. Italy is a different mix of grapes. In Chile they mix-n-match the above to produce very successful wines.

Honestly? I don't think you can go wrong with French, Italian, and Zinfandel. Certainly others as well, but the ones listed have commercial success.

@DPCellars has a successful blend I would not have thought of, Cab & Pinot. The old rules are tried-n-true .... but there is room for new rules.

@Ajmassa's advice is probably best -- make separate batches of whatever catches your fancy, and do bench tasting to identify the blend you like best. Whatever is left after you make your primary blend should be good on their own. Or mix the remainder together to produce a Frankenwine blend. It might surprise you.

I'm planning a Bordeaux blend this fall -- going primarily Merlot, and planning to add at least 1 lug each of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec (assuming all are available in our order). I'm looking at the ratios that various Merlot-based producers use to formulate my plan. I don't have room to make enough of the blending grapes in separate batches of each, so it will be a field mix.

 

[DPCellars]

@DPCellars has a successful blend I would not have thought of, Cab & Pinot. The old rules are tried-n-true .... but there is room for new rules.

I lucked out and get the grapes for free. Since I make such a small amount (last year was only 96 bottles), I can play and there is no real loss, except time. For me, it wasn't a thought. More of hey, let's try this since it's all I have anyway. I truly appreciated your post, because I am very new to this. The only real knowledge I have is watching how to ferment, rack, age, and bottle. Aside from that, it's all a craps shoot for me. I have seriously just gotten lucky that both my first and second attempts turned out so well.

 

[winemaker81]

@DPCellars, you're on your way. This is where we all started -- we were all newbies once.

Don't downplay your success -- you did something right. Twice. Sure, you don't feel that you know what you're doing, but 2 successful wines say that you're doing something right.

I get something out of this forum each and every week. There's always something new to learn, a different take on things, more in-depth knowledge on a known subject, someone's problems, or someone's successes (this is my favorite). Keep reading and learning ....

 

[wineview]

I’m thinking of trying equal parts of Syrah, Cab Suav and Zinfandel.

 

[winemaker81]

I’m thinking of trying equal parts of Syrah, Cab Suav and Zinfandel.

Do it!

Saturday I tasted wines at the Biltmore Estate in NC. While IMO a lot of their wines are over priced, the reds I tasted are very good. One is a mixture of Bordeaux and Rhone grapes + Zinfandel. It sounded like an odd combination, but it was good enough I purchased a bottle.

As I said previously, there is plenty of room for new rules!

 

[crushday]

I just blended in a 30L Speidel (surprisingly, it actually took 9 gallons) with the following wines:

1. One gallon Merlot (Rattlesnake Hills)
2. Two gallons Cab Franc (Folsom Lake) - original plan was 1 gal but volume of the Speidel demanded more
3. Six gallons of Sangiovese (Knights Valley)

Would I call this a Chianti? Obviously, not Classico... Super Tuscan? Tastes amazing.

 

[CDrew]

I'd call that a super Tuscan.

 

[winemaker81]

Would I call this a Chianti? Obviously, not Classico... Super Tuscan? Tastes amazing.

It qualifies as a Super Tuscan, although as long as YOU are happy, it doesn't matter what you call it.


My son & I are planning a Rhone-style blend for 2021 ... Super Tuscan may be 2022.