Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Red Blends

In the US, a red blend is essentially any domestic wine that's not made from a specific grape variety. If you've ever purchased Apothic Red or Gnarly Head Authentic Black at a supermarket for $15 or so, you're part of the trend (oddly enough, a $750 bottle of Harlan Estate falls into the category, too). Red blends now sell more, by volume, than either Pinot Noir or Merlot, and they're on track to become even more popular than Cabernet Sauvignon, the longtime red wine king.

It's a strange category, because many, and possibly even most, red wines are and have always been blends. A grand cru Bordeaux made from 100 percent Cabernet is the exception rather than the rule, as are Chiantis made from 100 percent Sangiovese. Also, California law only requires a wine to include 75 percent of the grape variety on the label, which means the bargain Pinot Noir you had at a dinner party the other night might well have been 10 percent Syrah. (Just don't tell your host.)

Winemakers blend grapes because it allows them, in a sense, to design a wine. A little Merlot can help soften Cabernet's tannins; a touch of Syrah can give some oomph to watery, cheap Pinot. In many regions, blending is traditional: Rioja, for example, historically blends Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha. On the other hand, many new, affordable red blends are simply concocted for mass appeal—lots of superripe, dark fruit and not very much acidity—using whatever varieties will do the trick.

When winemakers assemble a blend, they almost always start from a base; for the Firstleaf project, it was old-vine Zinfandel. To that we added a touch of Cabernet Franc and Malbec, "to give some really interesting spice," as Mahle said. We tried varying percentages of Grenache to lighten things up; ditto Syrah for richness and depth. And while wine romantics might not agree, for me the whole process really did remind me of assembling a burrito: using steak or chicken or some other protein as your base, adding salsa or jalapeños for spice, then maybe some sour cream and cheese for richness—but not too much of any of them, the whole point being balance.

So when we selected the final red blend for Firstleaf, the winner was the one in which each component, though clearly present, was subordinate to the whole. No one would take a sip of our wine (now known as Milieaux Legacy Red) and think that it tasted like 40 percent old-vine Zin, 40 percent Malbec and Cabernet Franc, 15 percent Grenache and 5 percent Syrah. Instead, I like to think that anyone who tries it will sit back and think, Wow, that's good.

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/fvf2Lmx9_P8?si=WGB60sPdS9aL2pT5 - 8 Great RED WINE Blends besides BORDEAUX!!! - Dr. Matthew Horkey (21:24)
2. https://youtu.be/_m5VOhxO1hE?si=Ol2aEJ08Iw9jmjWU - Exploring Red Blends - Kara Talks to Wine (4:30)
3. https://youtu.be/vJwalJCSUyQ?si=_rEOkp-ueN8Ao1sx - California Red Blends - Know Wine In No Time (6:15)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!