For winemakers, blending is the ultimate form of creativity. It’s the moment they have the chance to show off their skills at balance: be it flavour, texture or structure. It’s a meticulous craft, requiring a deep understanding of each grape’s nuance and character, and just how a bit more of that, or little less of this, will result in the best possible harmonious whole with more depth and complexity than any one of its individual parts.
Blending wine is an artform that’s been practiced for hundreds of years. Back then, vineyards were planted with numerous grape varieties. This acted as a type of insurance policy. European wine-growing regions in particular are known for unexpected weather patterns — just look at how France has been hit by frost these past few weeks. Where Cabernet Sauvignon might struggle in a cold year, Merlot will achieve ideal sugar levels with less heat. Blends ensure quality and consistency from vintage to vintage — where one grape underperforms, a grape with a more successful expression that year will rise and take a greater blend percentage. Because of this, many Old World wine areas developed distinctive blends, such as Chianti, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rioja and, of course, Bordeaux. As winemaking techniques became more developed and the globalisation of wine became more widespread, wine blending moved away from vineyard, or field blends, and into the cellar.
In South Africa, we have more freedom with our blending styles than the strict regulations of the Old World, allowing us to experiment with unusual and exciting combinations. Much like parts of southern Europe and California, the Western Cape has a maritime Mediterranean climate especially suited to blends. When it comes to red blends, there are three main styles we tend to focus on. Bordeaux-style blends are made up of a combination of five grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, Merlot for its softer fruit-forward nature, Cabernet Franc adds aromatic complexity, while Petit Verdot contributes to intensity and Malbec gives a plush texture. In stark contrast to dark, powerful Bordeaux-style blends, southern Rhône-style reds have rounded, warm, red fruit flavours, using a combination of Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan grapes. Lastly, our very own Cape blend requires a minimum of 30% Pinotage, with the addition of Cabernet, Merlot, or Shiraz. These are known to have a distinctive South African personality, loads of intensity and appeal, as well as excellent maturation potential.
Finally, the choice of vessel used to mature the wine has a significant impact on the evolution and flavour of the final blend. Two decades ago, stainless steel tanks and new French and American oak barrels reigned supreme. However, today a new generation of winemakers is using a spectrum of vessels to age and blend their wines, primarily to downplay the flavour of oak while having the same benefits on flavour and fruit tannin development. From large oak foudre casks to Italian and Georgian amphorae, concrete eggs and Slovenian oak barrels to name a few, winemakers are now able to select from a range of sensory profiles in designing age-worthy red blends truly reflective of their vintage, terroir, and craft.
No matter your ideal combination, rest assured that at Belthazar we’ll have the best red blend for you.
