Give Red Wine Blends a Try!

Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash

In years past in the U.S., red wine blends were sold by the jug as "Red Wine" or "Table Wine."  These were inexpensive wines that were blends of grapes, vineyards or even vintages. So, today, blends are often disregarded as being of lower quality.

We only need to look to France, home of some of the world’s best wines, to see that wine blends are nothing to turn your nose up at.  France's famous region of Bordeaux produces red blends almost exclusively.  Depending on which bank the wine is from in Bordeaux, it will be a different blend. The Left Bank is known for its blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon while the Right Bank blends are Merlot based. These blends may also include Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec.

Other famous regions known for their blends include the Rhône Valley that uses Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre and the so-called Super Tuscans from Italy that may include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and others.

The main reason that winemakers produce blends is to make the best wine possible. Blending different grape varieties is useful in accentuating a particular grape's virtues. Winemakers have learned never to blend an inferior wine with a good wine because the result is usually an inferior wine. Again, the goal is to produce a wine that is actually better than the sum of its parts. And by blending wines, a winemaker can produce wines that are well balanced and complex in their aromas, flavors, colors and textures. The blended grapes can add layers of flavor that will change through the process of taking the first sip, letting it sit on your tongue and then as you swallow.

Another thing you may not realize is that many wines labeled in the U.S. as single varietals are actually blends.  The laws state that for a wine to be labeled as a single varietal, it must contain at least 75% of the noted grape. But that leaves the other 25% for the winemaker to be creative and generally to blend in other grape-types that results in their best possible wine.

So don't shy away from red wine blends.  These can actually be some of the best wines in the world. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Cameleon Signature Organic Cabernet Sauvignon

2021 Domaine Bousquet Cameleon Signature Organic Cabernet Sauvignon ($20)

Like its namesake, Cameleon is the embodiment of adaptation to the environment. The label symbolizes the story of the Bousquet family, a fourth-generation family that left their native France after a long worldwide search for an idyllic wine growing region. Their search came to a natural conclusion in Tupungato where the Bousquet family tailored their extensive winemaking knowledge to the carefully chosen land. The European grapes such as Chardonnay, also adapted to the characteristics of the fertile Argentinean soil, creating the distinctive wine the family had sought.

This Cameleon Signature Organic Cabernet Sauvignon was produced form 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Malbec. They were hand harvested from organic vineyards and underwent cold maceration for 48 hours. It was then fermented with selected yeast for 10 days followed by 10 days of additional maceration. It underwent 100% malolactic conversion and was aged in contact with French oak for 6 to 8 months.

This wine is deep purple in color. On the nose it has medium-intensity notes of black fruit with herbal notes, some spiciness and a bit of dried tobacco. On the palate, this is a full-bodied Cab with flavors of black berry, black cherry and a hint of blueberry. This young Cab has bold tannin right out of bottle that settles down nicely after 1+ hours of decanting. It finishes smooth with just a bit of tartness. [ABV: 14.5%, Acidity: 5.55 gm/L, pH:3.67, Residual Sugar: 2.36 g/L]

This Cameleon Signature Organic Cabernet Sauvignon from Domaine Bousquet is big and bold and pairs well with grilled beef. And, at this great price, it’s this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet

So How Does Orange Wine Get its Color?

Last time we learned that grape juice is basically clear and the color of wine comes from the skins of the grapes. The juice from white wine grapes spend little or no time in contact with the grape skins and juice of red wine grapes spend days or weeks in contact with the red/purple grape skins. Rosé is made from the juice of red wine grapes that spend just a small amount of time (minutes or hours) in contact with their grape skins.

But, there is also a style of wine that has seen recent popularity and it’s orange wine. These wines are produced using white wine grapes, but instead of immediately separating the skins from the juice, the skins remain in contact with the juice during the fermentation process, just as in red wine making.  The skin contact during the fermentation process darkens the juice color to anything from a deep yellow color, an orange color, or even to a golden-brown color.  Thus, 'orange' wine.

And it's not just the color that's different in orange wines. Since the juice has had so much skin contact, these wines can take on bigger, bolder flavors and they can be quite tannic, like a red wine.

Orange wines should be served slightly warmer than a white wine and slightly cooler than a red. So, 55 degrees F would be just about right.

There you go. A wine’s color is all about the skins. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Cameleon Signature Organic Chardonnay

2022 Domaine Bousquet Cameleon Signature Organic Chardonnay ($15)

Like its namesake, Cameleon is the embodiment of adaptation to the environment. The label symbolizes the story of the Bousquet family, a fourth-generation family that left their native France after a long worldwide search for an idyllic wine growing region. Their search came to a natural conclusion in Tupungato where the Bousquet family tailored their extensive winemaking knowledge to the carefully chosen land. The European grapes such as Chardonnay, also adapted to the characteristics of the fertile Argentinean soil, creating the distinctive wine the family had sought.

This Cameleon Signature Organic Chardonnay is produced from 100% Chardonnay grown in vineyards in the Uco Valley at the foot of the Andes at 4000 feet. It spent six months in contact with French oak. It is pale gold in color with delicate aromas of apple and crème brûlée. On the palate, this medium-light bodied Chardonnay has flavors of yellow apple, baked pear and pineapple. It finishes bright with a hint of tartness.

This Domaine Bousquet Cameleon Signature Organic Chardonnay is unique in that its fruit flavors and mouthfeel are somewhere between an un-oaked and a lightly-oaked Chardonnay. Perfect for the coming warm weather months. For these reasons, and its great price, Cameleon is featured as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet

Ever Wonder? Where Does the Color of a Wine Come From?

Photo by Irene Kredenets on Unsplash

Wine can be beautiful shades of yellow, gold, pink, purple or ruby in color with pale, medium and deep intensities. But, where do all these beautiful colors come from?

The final color and hue of a wine comes down to how the various types of wines are made.

• To produce white wines, the green grapes are pressed to extract the juice from the grapes for fermentation

• For Rosé wines, red/purple grapes are pressed and the juice is briefly left in contact with the skins and seeds of the grapes before fermentation

• With red wines, the grape juice, skins and seeds all stay together for fermentation

The key here is that all juice from grapes is essentially clear to begin with. It’s the skins of the grapes that imparts the final color to the wine.

You can actually produce a white wine from a red wine grape - you simply don’t allow for any contact between the clear grape juice and the skins of the red/purple grapes. So, you basically follow the white wine-making process but using red grapes. One of the most famous white wines that is made from red grapes is Champagne. Traditional Champagne is made from two red grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (Pee-noh Mehr-n'yay)) and one white wine grape (Chardonnay). Champagne is a white sparkling wine because the clear juice from the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are combined with the clear juice from the Chardonnay grape prior to fermentation with no skin contact.

So, again, a wine’s color is all about how long, if at all, the juice of the grapes is left in contact with the skins.

By the way, there is another color of wine and it’s orange. We’ll look into that next time. Cheers!