White blends ideas...
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Due to using kits, this won't help you, but in the NY Finger Lakes, Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc make a good combo. I made a 50/50 blend many moons ago that was ok. In recent years I've had commercial 60/40 and 40/60 blends that were quite good. It seems one needs to be dominant over the other for the blend to work.
I'm surprised this thread didn't produce more responses.
However, while in recent years I make mostly red blends, I haven't blended whites in a long time. I suspect it's because the reds tend to complement each other, whereas whites lack the body, so IME they tend to mute each other. I used to like white Bordeaux, but in recent years don't like it as much. 95% of the whites I purchase are varietals.
However, while in recent years I make mostly red blends, I haven't blended whites in a long time. I suspect it's because the reds tend to complement each other, whereas whites lack the body, so IME they tend to mute each other. I used to like white Bordeaux, but in recent years don't like it as much. 95% of the whites I purchase are varietals.
I just don't make enough a variety of whites to blend. In fact I don't think I ever made more than one varietal a year. I might have made a peach and a white but never 2 grape whites. My preference is red wines. I make whites mostly for others but do enjoy a glass of Viognier or Petit Manseng on occasion.
Ohio Bob
Senior Member
I must have missed this thread. I like Riesling as a varietal because you can make it in a variety of styles with dominant notes of apple, pear, floral, mineral, etc. Viognier is a varietal that is compatible with Riesling so I started making that too.
My recent batch of Riesling, I added 5% homemade peach, and it’s pretty good. In the future I would back that % off by half, the peach really comes through.
For topping off my whites, I keep Aldi bottles of mango, pineapple, and peach on hand. I figure these will only get to single digit percentages so can only shift the flavor, not overtake it. I seem to remember a Winemakers magazine article where a commercial winery blends apple with Riesling.
For reds...
Last year I made a ground cherry based on inspiration from @BigDaveK. It’s young and may have gone a little sideways so I’m blending it in the glass with Riesling. It’s like a rose so there’s another path you can explore. I think any red fruit such as cherry, raspberry, etc. can be used to blend a white into a rose. For that matter why wouldn’t dark fruits like blackberry work as well? If we’re talking single digit percentages it might make a more full bodied rose.
I think I’m going to do some glass blending trials.
My recent batch of Riesling, I added 5% homemade peach, and it’s pretty good. In the future I would back that % off by half, the peach really comes through.
For topping off my whites, I keep Aldi bottles of mango, pineapple, and peach on hand. I figure these will only get to single digit percentages so can only shift the flavor, not overtake it. I seem to remember a Winemakers magazine article where a commercial winery blends apple with Riesling.
For reds...
Last year I made a ground cherry based on inspiration from @BigDaveK. It’s young and may have gone a little sideways so I’m blending it in the glass with Riesling. It’s like a rose so there’s another path you can explore. I think any red fruit such as cherry, raspberry, etc. can be used to blend a white into a rose. For that matter why wouldn’t dark fruits like blackberry work as well? If we’re talking single digit percentages it might make a more full bodied rose.
I think I’m going to do some glass blending trials.
I've never tried wine kits but chardonnay/viognier is on my to-do list. I made a chardonnay/white pinot noir blend a few years ago that had a small amount of viognier in it, but haven't had the opportunity to do chard/viognier alone.
Have any here cofermented 2 or more varietals or would you always ferment separately then blend after ferment and bulk age?
Both co-fermentation and later blending are common solutions. I've done both, and both work.
Besides trial and error, can you suggest a source for compatible blending partners including fruit/grape blends?
For red Vinifera, pretty much all work. Bordeaux and Rhone grapes all blend well, and if you look at "Super Tuscan", you'll see that Italian varietals tend to blend well with French as well. The following thread has a lot of options that are proven.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/red-blend-ideas.73908/
For white Vinifera, look at the origin countries, e.g., Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, etc.
For French-American hybrids, I suggest searching on the varietals you have. I have less experience in blending in this arena.
