One of the hottest trends in wine these days is the growing popularity of wine blends. Also known as field blends, these diverse wines consist of a mixture of grapes such as Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
“It’s probably the hottest thing going on in the wine industry right now,” said Bill Candela, wine Pal at Lisa.fm, adding that the wine blend business is regulated in Europe, but in California it’s more of a free for all, with wine makers mixing all kinds of grapes to come up with their own perfect vintage.
California wine blends attracted the attention of wine lovers worldwide after a little known red called The Prisoner, made by Orin Swift Cellars in Napa County turned up on a Wine Spectator list of best blends.
“The Prisoner is the first California field blend to ever rank in the top 100 wines worldwide (in 2005) with the Wine Spectator,” said Candela, adding that the Prisoner came in at number thirty-eight for their 2004 vintage, and he personally thinks the 2005 blend is even better.
The Prisoner retails for about $30 a bottle in California and, Candela says, it’s worth the investment. Just keep in mind that this hearty red has a high alcohol content, so be sure to enjoy it on a full stomach.
“It’s a big wine [The Prisoner]. It also needs to be decanted for at least an hour, if not two,” said Candela. Decanting gets air into the wine, so it will open up and develop the bouquet, which will bring out the complex tastes of the wine.
California winemakers are also experimenting with adding a small percentage of white grapes into their red field blends.
“There’s a hot thing going on right now, especially in the Paso Robles area (San Luis Obispo County, CA) of blends, where they’re blending several different red grapes with Viognier,” Said Candela. Viognier (vee-own-YAY), a little-known French varietal grape, has garnered popularity in California as a stand alone (white) wine. Candela says wine makers are experimenting with adding a small percentage of Viognier to their red wines to create a whole different taste. Charbono is another white grape being added into red wine blends.
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