1/11/08 Varietals vs Blends

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. The term varietal is often used in describing wine and refers to the fact that the wine was made from a variety or kind of grape; a blend is the mixture of two or more grape types. Today we're going to take up the topic of single variety versus blends in our wines. The past few decades have seen incredible changes in not only the growth of winemaking, but in the styles and technology of winemaking. As I said some wines are made from one specific kind of grape and blends are a combination of grapes used to make the wine. Old world wines were almost exclusively blended wines from grapes grown in their regions, where New World wines were often from a specific variety. But this is no longer always the case. Most of the winemakers I have known really prefer to have the option of blending. It often makes for more interesting wines. However, in the United States it is the law that when a wine is labeled with a specific variety's name then at least 70% of the grapes used to make that wine must be the grape named on the label. When it comes down to it neither one is inherently better than the other. The quality is still mainly a factor of grape excellence and winemaking skill. Blends are interesting and can be wonderful when they are well executed. Talk to your local wine merchant and ask for some recommendations. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.