How to create a red blend?

[amorgan]

When I buy red wine I tend to like a blend. I'd be interested in beginner blend suggestions? At what stage in the process do you blend, and what are the steps without too much exposure to oxygen? I just bottled two gallons of strawberry (not TOO sweet, but sweeter than I normally drink) and a three gallon kit cabernet. Could I have maybe done a 75% Cab, 25% strawberry blend?

 

[Ohio Bob]

Bottom line is you can do whatever you like. Depends on the taste you enjoy and are going for.

I usually blend at bottling or sometimes blend and age for another 3 months. No hard and fast rules here. Possible issues with very different wines such as very different sugar levels or acid levels (thinking a grape wine mixed with a fruit wine). Safer to blend then bulk age. Taste and reblend as needed. Bottle only when your satisfied with it.

Specifically anything with strawberry, a very light flavor, any red added to it is likely to overwhelm it. Since you just bottled both, wait a few months, then open one of each. Measure out a 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 sample and taste. You may find very quickly that maybe a 5/95 or 10/90 is what your looking for.

Also it’s not one or the other. Maybe when you have a taste for strawberry but it seems thin, you wish it had some Cab in it. Optimize for this scenario. Also when you have a taste for a Cab but wish it had a little extra fruit or zing maybe a little strawberry is just the thing.

Take good notes. It will help when you crack open that last bottle years from now and you’ll say, “that was so good I have to make it again”.

 

[amorgan]

Bottom line is you can do whatever you like. Depends on the taste you enjoy and are going for.

I usually blend at bottling or sometimes blend and age for another 3 months. No hard and fast rules here. Possible issues with very different wines such as very different sugar levels or acid levels (thinking a grape wine mixed with a fruit wine). Safer to blend then bulk age. Taste and reblend as needed. Bottle only when your satisfied with it.

Specifically anything with strawberry, a very light flavor, any red added to it is likely to overwhelm it. Since you just bottled both, wait a few months, then open one of each. Measure out a 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 sample and taste. You may find very quickly that maybe a 5/95 or 10/90 is what your looking for.

Also it’s not one or the other. Maybe when you have a taste for strawberry but it seems thin, you wish it had some Cab in it. Optimize for this scenario. Also when you have a taste for a Cab but wish it had a little extra fruit or zing maybe a little strawberry is just the thing.

Take good notes. It will help when you crack open that last bottle years from now and you’ll say, “that was so good I have to make it again”.

Thanks Dinosaur Bob!

 

[winemanden]

Blending is great. The way I do it is to line up seven glasses. The ones at either end are 100%, the middle one is 50/50., the ones between the left and the middle are whatever % I want to try. The ones one the right are the same % only the opposite way round. You can extend it to as many glasses and % as you want, just so long as you have the two controls either end and 50/50 in the middle.
I don't always get the perfect blend, but I always end up with a pleased feeling, You know, sort of glowing.

 

[amorgan]

Blending is great. The way I do it is to line up seven glasses. The ones at either end are 100%, the middle one is 50/50., the ones between the left and the middle are whatever % I want to try. The ones one the right are the same % only the opposite way round. You can extend it to as many glasses and % as you want, just so long as you have the two controls either end and 50/50 in the middle.
I don't always get the perfect blend, but I always end up with a pleased feeling, You know, sort of glowing.

Love it. Actually sounds fun. Are you doing this before bottling?

 

[winemaker81]

@amorgan, the answer to all your questions is "yes". You can blend at any time and you can blend anything you want. There are no rules.

I have made field blends (blend before fermenting) and blending after aging. There are reasons for doing both, which can include "because I feel like it".

I make field blends mostly due to space considerations, e.g., I don't have the room to make as much wine as necessary to prepare for a given blend. So I research varietals and make a decision.

Post-aging blending provides for fine control, but it's also very easy to get into decision paralysis, e.g., several blends are good and it's hard to decide which one. That said, @winemanden's point on bench testing is important.

Also, there's nothing wrong with making post-bottling blends on a bottle-by-bottle basis -- open several bottles and have fun!

 

[ChuckD]

Also, there's nothing wrong with making post-bottling blends on a bottle-by-bottle basis -- open several bottles and have fun!

I’m too cheap to pour them down the drain so whenever we buy a wine that we find is too sweet we put it in the back of the fridge and blend it when we run into one that is too dry or too sharp. It generally makes a drinkable product and occasionally a good one.

 

[winemaker81]

@amorgan, we have a thread full of blending ideas:

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/red-blend-ideas.73908/

 

[amorgan]

I’m too cheap to pour them down the drain so whenever we buy a wine that we find is too sweet we put it in the back of the fridge and blend it when we run into one that is too dry or too sharp. It generally makes a drinkable product and occasionally a good one.

Great idea

 

[winemanden]

Love it. Actually sounds fun. Are you doing this before bottling?

Before bottling and I age it a while afterwards just to make sure it doesn't start fermenting again. I also make sure I don't intend going out, because I always swallow, hence the pleased feeling!

 

[Hazelemere]

When I buy red wine I tend to like a blend. I'd be interested in beginner blend suggestions? At what stage in the process do you blend, and what are the steps without too much exposure to oxygen? I just bottled two gallons of strawberry (not TOO sweet, but sweeter than I normally drink) and a three gallon kit cabernet. Could I have maybe done a 75% Cab, 25% strawberry blend?

you can do it now in the glass