Sometimes wine you're buying isn't what you want
By By Stan Torgerson / wine columnist
Feb. 18, 2004
If you're under the impression that when you buy a bottle of your favorite varietal what you spend your money on is what you get, I have news for you.
The label may say "cabernet sauvignon" but chances are the winemaker has added some cabernet franc or syrah to the mix to soften tannins, add aroma and color or make it drinkable earlier.
That's the word from the state of Washington winemakers group which concedes that most of their wines, as well as wines from California, Australia, Spain and wherever, indulge in the common practice of blending.
The rules are that if the label says this is a specific type of wine, cabernet again as the example, cabernet only has to be 75 percent of the wine in the bottle to qualify. The other 25 percent can be the winemaker's choice. If it is 75 percent something that can legally be the only name on the bottle. Cabernet sauvignon isn't the only one. Merlot, syrah, zinfandel it matters not. If three quarters of the wine is what they say it is, then it is. That's why one winemaker's cabernet is mild and fruity while their neighbor across the road markets wine from the same grapes that is brawny and bears little resemblance.
In recent years a new approach has become common. It's a "duo varietal" or "cross varietal."
Cross varietals typically consist of hefty portions of two varietals separately fermented, then brought together. Each wine's contribution is usually 30 percent or above. See if these names are familiar, merlot-cabernet, cabernet-syrah, chardonnay-semillion or chardonnay-viognier.
Columbia Crest was probably the first American winery to introduce a cross varietal with its semillion-chardonnay in 1990. Winemakers in Australia were experimenting with it, too. Those of you who enjoy Rosemount or Greg Norman wines from that country are aware that up until two or three years ago their mainstays were simply labeled shiraz or merlot or cabernet sauvignon.
After they became popular the winery began marketing cabernet-shiraz or shiraz-merlot or cabernet-merlot blends at lesser prices than the pure breds. It was done for one simple reason, to win consumers who were buying inexpensive wines from Chile and other countries because they were unwilling to pay a few dollars more for Australian wines. By blending the better with the lesser the winemaker could compensate for missing flavors and character in a particular vintage. A simple chardonnay changes and improves in flavor if the semillion grape is added to the mix.
I enjoy the shiraz or cabernets from Australia. But I do not care for their blends. They remind me of the old saying, "They are neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring."
The winemakers disagree. Joy Andersen of Snoqualmie Vineyards in Washington state says, "I think that merging different profiles can make for a more interesting and well rounded experience to the nose and the palate. The varieties we pair and blend at Snoqualmie are enough alike as to not compete with each other and mature enough to help enhance each other's difference."
She says she believes blending does not mean either wine completely loses its own personality.
There are no set percentages for cross-varietals. For example Columbia Crest's semillion-chardonnay wine is a 70-30 blend. But the Columbia Crest merlot-cabernet is blended 50-50.
Play the game at home if you wish. Buy a bottle of cabernet and a bottle of merlot and then create your own mix. Add a little more here or a bit less there. Be careful to measure so you know the percentage of each wine used in your own blend. Does such blending add to or take away from the wine? You'll never know unless you try or buy. However, this is one piece of my own advice I don't plan to follow. Been there. Done that. I'm a varietal buyer. If I want a syrah then I want it to taste like a syrah. It's the same reason I don't marinate steaks.
Tasting correction
Last week's column gave the date for the February wine tasting as Feb. 27. Well, of course, that was incorrect. Our tastings are always the last Thursday of the month, which this month is Feb. 26. Everything else was correct. It will be a blind tasting of a variety of white wines, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, riesling, pinot gris, white burgundy, perhaps also a sancerre or chenin blanc. The price remains $25. Call 482-0930 to make a reservation.
