Best white wine blends
The world of wine is filled with diverse styles to suit any taste. A successful white wine blend will balance the unique characteristics of multiple grape varieties to create a sum greater than its parts. Some of the most popular styles of white wine blends originated in Bordeaux. White Bordeaux blends feature primarily Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon with smaller amounts of Muscadelle and other lesser-known varieties. They tend to be crisp, dry wines with citrus notes, green fruit and refreshing minerality. Some oak-aged examples will display complex vanilla and spice notes with hints of creaminess. Bordeaux-style white blends are also popular in Australia, often featuring more Sémillon. In fact, many New World regions emulate classic European blends. In California, winemakers create floral, fruit-driven white wines inspired by the Southern Rhône. These wines usually star Viognier and Grenache Blanc, with other Rhône varieties like Marsanne and Roussanne playing supporting roles. A blended white wine from Chile can offer a diverse selection of international grape varieties, including Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat. In Portugal, zesty Vinho Branco blends feature native grape varieties Loureiro and Verdelho alongside Spanish Albariño.
What is a wine blend?
Blending wine is more common than you think. Each step in this meticulous winemaking process affects the final result. When done well, every sip of a white blend wine will showcase each of its varieties working in harmony. To create a blend, winemakers usually start by crushing and fermenting the white wines separately. Once fermentation is complete, the winemaking team gathers samples from the wines they wish to blend to conduct a "bench trial." During this step, they will taste multiple mock blends with different proportions of the wines, searching for the ideal balance of flavor and texture. The team will often reblend and re-taste numerous times to get it right. Once they find the perfect ratio, they recreate it in one large tank before bottling and sealing the cork.
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