Field Blend

[Rocco]

I'm considering a Chilean malbec/cab sav field blend to simplify my life. Managing one fermentation, press, TA adjustment, etc seems inviting and I think a 50/50 blend will be better than either alone.

My question is: is this a setup for a desirable result and more importantly is it ok to add different yeasts? Maybe RC212 for cab and d254 for the malbec? Is it ok to mix yeasts in a large fementer? Or should I just stick to one? And if so, which one?

 

[ColemanM]

I can't tell you for sure about the yeast, but I think adding two to one ferment may not work due to the "survival of the fittest" situation. I believe yeast is competitive. Not sure though, someone else can chime in. However, as for the blend, you could head to the liquor store and check a few bottles of malbec/cab wines and see what percentages they are. If you are going off a wine you have had, check the label. Not sure if I've seen many 50/50 but if it tastes good to you, then you're ahead of the game with one ferment. But two ferments and two yeasts would be MY choice.

 

[stickman]

I agree with Coleman about the yeast, one will usually dominate, any benefit will be a crapshoot. There are procedures from yeast suppliers for using multiple yeasts, but I haven't tried these so I can't really comment.

You'll get multiple opinions on the field blend as there are pro's and con's. Some like to do the separate batches with different yeast and once fermented decide on the blend ratio etc., you have more control, but it can be tricky to taste young wines and decide on a ratio based on how you think they will evolve during bulk aging. I guess I'm lazy, because I've always co-fermented (fresh grapes) based on general blend guidelines, I have a 60gal jacketed stainless vat and it does make it easy to manage the batch. As you indicated, co-fermentation does allow the brix and acid levels to average out, which may be a benefit depending on the fruit.