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10:12 AM

2008 - Wine Pairing

Today's Wine Pairing Article

Which is for You - Blended or Varietal Wines?Darby Higgs




Novice wine lovers soon come across the concept of blended and varietal wines. The two questions that spring to mind are, what does it mean? and does it matter?

At the basic level, the difference is quite simple. Varietal wines are made from a single grape variety, while blended wines are made using two or more. The most obvious example is the difference between the two great red wine styles of France. Burgundy red wine is composed of the single variety Pinot noir. Bordeaux red wines are most often blends of up to five varieties, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit verdot. There are a few Bordeaux wines made from a single variety, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.

So much for theory. The distinction between varietal and blended wines is less clear in practice. Many varietal wines are made from blends of wine grown in several regions. Australias iconic Grange is such an example. Each year hundreds of samples from many vineyards are tasted and evaluated before the final blend is decided upon. The result is a blend of regions, rather than varieties.

Many more modest Australian wines with to fame are also regional blends. The process of selecting the blend is similar but much more simplified. The clue on the label is often the words wine of South Eastern Australia. This is almost as general a statement that you can get about the origins of an Australian wine.

Some wines made from a single variety are blends of several different vintages, but this is quite rare for table wines.

While on the topic of labels, you should be aware that many wines bearing a single varietal name can legally contain up to fifteen percent of other varieties. If the wine is labelled as a blend, then the variety with the largest percentage composition should be named first, for example wine labelled Cabernet Merlot, should contain a greater percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

Our second question is does it matter? Well, if you find a wine that you enjoy and it is a blend, then you should continue to drink it. However if you wish to extend your wine knowledge and thus enhance your wine experience you should try varietal wines whenever possible. There are hundreds of varietal wines available, each with a special subtle difference waiting for you to discover.

Novice wine lovers soon come across the concept of blended and varietal wines. The two questions that spring to mind are, what does it mean? and does it matter?

At the basic level, the difference is quite simple. Varietal wines are made from a single grape variety, while blended wines are made using two or more. The most obvious example is the difference between the two great red wine styles of France. Burgundy red wine is composed of the single variety Pinot noir. Bordeaux red wines are most often blends of up to five varieties, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit verdot. There are a few Bordeaux wines made from a single variety, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.

So much for theory. The distinction between varietal and blended wines is less clear in practice. Many varietal wines are made from blends of wine grown in several regions. Australias iconic Grange is such an example. Each year hundreds of samples from many vineyards are tasted and evaluated before the final blend is decided upon. The result is a blend of regions, rather than varieties.

Many more modest Australian wines with to fame are also regional blends. The process of selecting the blend is similar but much more simplified. The clue on the label is often the words wine of South Eastern Australia. This is almost as general a statement that you can get about the origins of an Australian wine.

Some wines made from a single variety are blends of several different vintages, but this is quite rare for table wines.

While on the topic of labels, you should be aware that many wines bearing a single varietal name can legally contain up to fifteen percent of other varieties. If the wine is labelled as a blend, then the variety with the largest percentage composition should be named first, for example wine labelled Cabernet Merlot, should contain a greater percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

Our second question is does it matter? Well, if you find a wine that you enjoy and it is a blend, then you should continue to drink it. However if you wish to extend your wine knowledge and thus enhance your wine experience you should try varietal wines whenever possible. There are hundreds of varietal wines available, each with a special subtle difference waiting for you to discover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Darby Higgs is an expert on Australian wines made from unusual and rare grape varieties. He is the manager of the Vinodiversity website at http://www.vinodiversity.com



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Which is for You - Blended or Varietal Wines?Darby Higgs


Novice wine lovers soon come across the concept of blended and varietal wines. The two questions that spring to mind are, what does it mean? and does ...


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7:03 AM

September 24, 2008 - Wine Stain-

Wine Stain For Your Reading Pleasure

Wine 101



I am sure that there are many people who will say that they know everything there is to know about wines. Unfortunately unless you are a wine aficionado, a wine grower or an expert in wine tasting you will have a very limited idea of the many differences that are present in
wines. This is quite alright as many of us just drink the various wines that we have without thinking any further. To help us learn more about wines we can take a small tour called wine 101.


This tour will just touch on a few ideas in wines. To get more information you can visit wineries and ask questions from their tour guides, look for the information that you require on the internet, read some books on wine tasting and other subjects. These are just
introductions into the many differences that you will find as you ample different wines.


In wine 101 the first thing that you will have to understand is that red wines have a different taste from white wines and you will need to taste these to learn the various differences. Once you have accepted this fact you will need to look for a few white wines and red wines in which to conduct your wine 101 class.


The next step in the tasting of the wine 101 is to pour some wine into a glass. Swirl the wine in the glass so that the wine and all of the substances in the wine have a chance to meld. You will need to hold the wine up to the light and see how long it takes for the leg of the wine to pour back into the bottom of the glass. The legs of the wine will tell you about the quality of the wine.


The next stage in wine 101 is to smell the wine. Here you will need to first take a quick sniff. From this sniff you should try and identify the various flavors that may be present in the wine. Once you have decided what these flavors might be, you should swirl the wine once more so that everything is once again thoroughly mixed together.


You must be prepared to step into the next part of wine 101. This is where you will take a small sip of the wine, hold it for a few minutes and savor all of the flavors. When these flavors are present in your mouth the wine should be allowed to slide into your waiting throat. Now savor the full taste of your glass of wine.

About the Author


Reginald Sinevet is a former US Marine officer. He is currently an real estate investor, internet and network marketer. He is the owner of wine-tasting-secrets, http://www.wine-tasting-secrets.com

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Wine 101


I am sure that there are many people who will say that they know everything there is to know about wines. Unfortunately unless you are a wine aficiona...


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Robert Mondavi, the visionary vintner helped usher in a new era for California wine, bringing the state to international prominence along with his famous namesake Napa winery. He was 94.


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