Blending

[CDrew]

i am bottling this weekend my 2019 cab sav and Syrah blend -which was co-fermented
once u start making more blends u will get to know what u like -

wine making there's no right or wrong - the only wrong is not being clean - sanitize everything - i am a little over board on that but that's ok - and i aways MLF
- i cannot stress enough about being clean - if not it can totally change ur wine to the worst

Thanks for making me feel better about not bottling all of my 2020 yet! I've still got 30 gallons to bottle, just no bottles.

My blends tend to be what ever is left. For 2020 I still have 5 gallons each of syrah, primitivo, and sangiovese. It's going to be 6 cases of blend. All 3 wines are good as individuals and I'll bet will be an awesome blend.

And I'm from a home brewing background and agree about the clean.

 

[Fox Squirrel Vin]

Anyone blend at pour time? ie) decant 2 different vinos in same decanter at once

Cheers!

I do it all the time...

When I get to the bottom of a bottle and there isn't a full glass worth left.

 

[Fox Squirrel Vin]

The short answer is "yes", when you blend makes a difference. The long answer is "all choices work".

One option is to ferment and bulk age all varietals separately, and blend at some point down the road -- 3 to 24 months after fermentation completes. This gives you the best control over the final result. You can make blends with as little as 1% of a given varietal.

Me? I don't have the storage space to do that, so I field blend -- my 2020's were fermented in 4 batches -- 2 Merlot, 1 Zinfandel, and 1 Vinifera Blend (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot). Post fermentation I blended the 4 batches into two:

1) 66.7% free run Merlot, 33.3% free run Vinifera Blend. 2) 40% Merlot, 40% Zinfandel, 20% Vinifera Blend. These were bottled in February and I'm highly pleased with both. Could I have made better if I bulk aged for 6 months then blended? Don't know and at this point, don't care. I produced a result I'm pleased with and don't waste time looking back.

The enemy of "good" is not "bad". The true enemy is "better".

For 2021 my grape purchase was scotched, so I made a triple batch of FWK Super Tuscan, and a field blend of FWK Syrah, Petite Sirah, & Merlot. So far we like the Super Tuscan better, but it's not by a lot. This will be another win for this team.

My advice is to do what you need to do, and don't sweat it. If you like the result, you have succeeded.

My relatives in Italy would split the harvest and ferment separately using different yeasts and then do the blending after. It's amazing the taste difference that can be had by your yeast choice.

 

[tullamore]

Thanks for making me feel better about not bottling all of my 2020 yet! I've still got 30 gallons to bottle, just no bottles.

My blends tend to be what ever is left. For 2020 I still have 5 gallons each of syrah, primitivo, and sangiovese. It's going to be 6 cases of blend. All 3 wines are good as individuals and I'll bet will be an awesome blend.

And I'm from a home brewing background and agree about the clean.

that's another major point - is patience, patience
its amazing how wine changes month to month - year to year - this batch i'm bottling this weekend i will start drinking it around Christmas time - after 2 years on american oak i like to let it sit for a while after bottling