red blend ideas

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When I was in Tuscany, I went to several wineries. They were blending in more like 5% Merlot and Cab each. I did that with my Sang. It gave a better mouth feel and smoothed out the edges.
 
When I was in Tuscany, I went to several wineries. They were blending in more like 5% Merlot and Cab each. I did that with my Sang. It gave a better mouth feel and smoothed out the edges.
That’s really interesting, I have about 30 sang vines, 2 merlot, 2 cab franc, and 2 mourvedre. I was wondering what the hell I was going to make out of it all, straight Sang, all in, hadn’t really come across too many posts with similar blends. So in your experience the others will help smooth it out, and hopefully help the colour?
 
The current update includes some French-American hybrids.

Important Note: Some of the percentages may seem overly precise, which may be a result of simple math. One of my blends was 2/3 Merlot, 1/3 Bordeaux Blend (equal poundage of 4 different grapes). Calculating percentages I came up with 67% Merlot and 8.25% of each of the other 4 grapes. In this case, it's my best guess as to the percentages; I didn't measure out 8.25% of any wine.

Treat the following blends as starting points and use your own taste testing to fine tune the final blend.


Red Grape

Alicante Bouschet


Alicante Bouschet 80%, Zinfandel 10%, Barbera 10% (Tullamore)
Alicante Bouschet 60%, Muscat 40% (tullamore)
Alicante Bouschet 54%, Grenache 50% (distributor)
Alicante Bouschet 50%, Barbera 25%, Petite Sirah 25% (distributor)

Barbera

Barbera 90%, Petite Sirah 10% (tullamore)
Barbera 85%, Petite Sirah 15% (tullamore)
Barbera 81%, Sangiovese 13%, Petite Sirah 6% (Mac60)
Barbera 80%, Sangiovese 15%, Aglianico 5% (CDrew)
Barbera 80%, Sangiovese 15%, Petite Sirah 5% (tullamore)
Barbera 75%, Sangiovese 20%, Petit Verdot 5% (Mac60)
Barbera 60%, Dolcetto 30%, Nebbiolo 10% (tullamore)
Barbera 54%, Grenache 46% (Joe B)
Barbera 40%, Zinfandel 40%, Alicante Bouschet 20% (Clammypollack)

Cabernet Franc

Cabernet Franc 85%, Merlot 5%, Carménère 5%, Alicante Bouschet 5% (Nebbiolo020)
Cabernet Franc 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Merlot 20% (McGregor Winery – Rob Roy)

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Merlot 10%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 1% (Mark Ryan Winery - Dead Horse)
Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Merlot 10% (winemaker81)
Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Merlot 16%, Petit Verdot 4% (Mac60)
Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Petit Verdot 12%, Tannat 8% (Mainshipfred)
Cabernet Sauvignon 79%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Merlot 10% (Justin Vineyards – Isosceles)
Cabernet Sauvignon 79%, Merlot 9%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8%, Malbec 2%, Petite Verdot 2% (San Acacia Cellars – Caballo Muerto)
Cabernet Sauvignon 78%, Merlot 8%, Cabernet Franc 8%, Petit Verdot 4%, Malbec 2% (Guasto-IS)
Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Merlot 25% (distributor)
Cabernet Sauvignon 72%, Merlot 28% (Kitchen)
Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 10% (DistanceRunner)
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Shiraz 40% (Red Head - Red Sedan)
Cabernet Sauvignon 59%, Merlot 39%, Petit Verdot 2% (Snafflebit)
Cabernet Sauvignon 57%, Petite Sirah 43% (kitchen)
Cabernet Sauvignon 51%, Merlot 26%, Syrah 13%, Sangiovese 10% (NCWC)
Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 30%, Syrah 20% (Meadini)
Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Primitivo 50% (Tenuta - Albrizzi)
Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cabernet Franc 25%, Merlot 25%, Sangiovese 25% (Clammypollack)

Carignan

Carignan 50%, Syrah 25%, Mourvèdre 25% (Charles Cros)
Carignan 24%, Zinfandel 25%, Alicante Bouschet 24%, Petite Sirah 25% (distributor)

Carménère

Carménère 50%, Malbec 50% (Chuck E)

Chambourcin

Chambourcin 90%, Merlot 10% (winemaker81)

Grenache

Grenache 76%, Mourvèdre 8%, Petite Sirah 8%, Syrah 8% (winemaker81)
Grenache 70%, Syrah 20%, Carignan 10% (Cabalié)
Grenache 67%, Shiraz 28%, Mourvèdre 5% (Colloca)
Grenache 62.5%, Syrah 37.5%, Mourvèdre 12.5% (winemaker81)
Grenache 50%, Syrah 35%, Carignan 10%, Mourvèdre 5% (Domaine de la Presidente - Cotes du Rhone)
Grenache 50%, Syrah 25%, Merlot 25% (Meadini)
Grenache 40%, Sangiovese 40%, Zinfandel 20% (distributor)
Grenache 25%, Zinfandel 250%, Alicante Bouschet 25%, Muscat 25% (distributor)

Malbec

Malbec 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40% (BMarNJ)

Marechal Foch

Marechal Foch 75%, Leon Millot 25% (VinesnBines)

Merlot

Merlot 95%, Cabernet Franc 5% (Tentation de Dalem – Fronsac)
Merlot 78.90%, Barbera 21.2% (StimVino)
Merlot 70%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Grenache 5% (distributor)
Merlot 67%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8.25%, Cabernet Franc 8.25%, Petit Verdot 8.25%, Malbec 8.25% (winemaker81)
Merlot 65%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cabernet Franc 10% (Chateau Bellevue – Bordeaux)
Merlot 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Petit Verdot 20%, Malbec 10%, Cabernet Franc 10% (Jbu50)
Merlot 40%, Zinfandel 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 5%, Malbec 5% (winemaker81)

Montepulciano

Montepulciano 85%, Petit Verdot 15% (StimVino)
Montepulciano 70.5%, Barbera 21.2%, Muscat 8.3% (StimVino)
Montepulciano 60%, Cesanese 40% (Antionio Federici - Roma Rosso)

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo 90%, Petite Sirah 10% (justsgm)
Nebbiolo 70.5%, Barbera 21.2%, Muscat 8.3% (StimVino)

Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah 74%, Regent 26% (Hazelmere)

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir 75%, Syrah 25% (StimVino)

Primitivo

Primitivo 60%, Syrah 40% (CDrew)
Primitivo 40%, Sangiovese 25%, Barbera 24%, Dolcetto 8%, Syrah 3% (Brutocao - Quadriga)

Ruby Cabernet

Ruby Cabernet 60%, Carignan 20%, Zinfandel 20% (distributor)

Sangiovese

Sangiovese 85%, Sagrantino 15% (tullamore)
Sangiovese 80%, Merlot 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10% (Jusatale)
Sangiovese 75%, Merlot 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Alicante Bouschet 5% (justsgm)
Sangiovese 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Merlot 15% (Meadini)
Sangiovese 60%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%, Syrah 5% (tullamore)
Sangiovese 60%, Nebbiolo 20%, Alicante Bouschet 20% (mainshipfred)
Sangiovese 50%, Montepulciano 12.5%, Nebbiolo 12.5%, Nero D'avoia 12.5%, Sagrantino 12.5% (winemaker81)
Sangiovese 45%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 15%, Petite Sirah 5% (Mac60)
Sangiovese 44%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Merlot 10%, Petite Sirah 6% (Mac60)
Sangiovese 42%, Cabernet Sauvignon 21%, Merlot 26%, Syrah 5.5%, Petite Sirah 5.5% (NCWC)
Sangiovese 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Merlot 20% (buzi)

Shiraz

Shiraz 80%, Zinfandel 20% (Amandla)
Shiraz 50%, Merlot 50% (CalabrianBlood)
Shiraz 47%, Cabernet Sauvignon 32%, Malbec 21% (Andean Vineyards - Waxed Bat)

Syrah

Syrah 50%, Petite Sirah 50% (distributor)
Syrah 33.3%, Petite Sirah 33.3%, Merlot 33.3% (winemaker81)

Tempranillo

Tempranillo 95%, Graciano 5% (Latitud 42 – Rioja Reserva)
Tempranillo 94%, Mourvèdre 2%, Petite Sirah 2%, Syrah 2% (winemaker81)
Tempranillo 34%, Syrah 33%, Zinfandel 33% (distributor)

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional 35%, Tinta Roriz 25%, Syrah 25%, Alicante Bouschet 15% (Stone & Bones)

Zinfandel

Zinfandel 75%, Alicante Bouschet 25% (Dom1950)
Zinfandel 75%, Petite Sirah 25% (Chuck E)
Zinfandel 75%, Syrah 13%, Petite Sirah 7%, Merlot 5% (Mac60)
Zinfandel 70%, Barbera 30% (BMarNJ)
Zinfandel 50%, Barbera 50% (distributor)
Zinfandel 50%, Merlot 20%, Malbec 20%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10% (Kraffty)
Zinfandel 35%, Carignan 35%, Grenache 15%, Alicante Bouschet 15% (distributor)

White Grape

Chardonnay


Chardonnay 70%, French Colombard 20%, Viognier 10% (distributor)
Chardonnay 50%, Pinot Noir (white) 40%, Viognier 10% (BarrelMonkey)

Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc 67.70%, Sauvignon Blanc 33.3% (Kitchen)
Chenin Blanc 50%, French Colombard 50% (distributor)

Fernão Pires

Fernão Pires 70%, Branco Arinto 30% (El Campeon)

Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer 50%, Piesporter 50% (ratflinger)

Muscato

Muscato 78%, Alicante Bouschet 22% (Guasto-IS)

Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio 34%, Muscat Canelli 33%, French Colombard 33% (distributor)

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc 50%, Chenin Blanc 40%, Malvasia 10% (distributor)

Semillion

Semillion 70%, Muscadelle 15%, Sauvignon Blanc 15% (Chateau Belingard – Reserve Monbazillac)
 
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