| Blends: No longer an Old World privilege |
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| jueves, 11 diciembre 2008 | ||||||||
 Blends Human beings do not live on varietals only. Besides single variety wines there are blends, which result from the alchemy achieved by winemakers. If they are red, they offer spicy and mysterious aromas, and hues as black as the night. If they are white, their colors are golden yellows or even impossible greens. Roberto de la Mota (Mendel Wines) is one of the most respected winemakers of the Argentinian wine industry. He claims that returning to blends has meant a twist for Argentina. In fact, there is currently a kind of “blend revival”. Argentina went from a pure varietal trend to a balance between varietals and blends, while some Old World countries like Spain have turned to varietals. De la Mota argues that “we have experienced a long twist. In Europe, the concept of wine quality was always associated with origin, which was enough for qualitative acknowledgement because consumers did not know about varieties. In the so-called New World countries- where Argentina is included- the qualitative credit was determined by brands rather than variety or origin. After the 1960s, when Americans began to strengthen California’s wine industry, they used varieties as qualitative attributes of wines, giving birth to the varietal boom. Making single-variety wines can be a complex undertaking, but making blends is one step above.” But this should not be misleading. Blends comprise not only “big wines” or famous. Trapiche’s most affordable line includes two blends that are doing pretty well in the domestic market. Daniel Pi, the company’s chief winemaker, has a solid opinion on this matter: “blends are not just top range wines. Argentina is discovered through its varietals, but once consumers become more knowledgeable, they move towards blends. In fact, among our most successful wines there is Astica, a tow-varietal blend. He adds that in many cases varietals are also blends -of grapes from different parcels and vineyards. For another successful premium blend maker, winery-owner Walter Bressia, the challenge is to project an image of Argentina as a “great wine producer” abroad. Committed to blend exports since the 1990s, Bressia claims that “at the cultural level, it is much deeper to make a blend than a varietal. It requires a higher level of knowledge about varieties, their behaviors, terroirs, combinations, oak aging features…all of these raise the technological level of the industry.” Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah, a famous trio Looking at the labels of Argentinian blends, one finds that Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah -in that order- are the most used varietals, followed by Malbec, when it comes to blend making. Daniel Pi explains that the extended use of these three red varieties is a result of logical thinking. “If you have a variety with lots of color and structure, you search for what it is lacking. If it lacks spice or needs softening, in the case of a Cabernet basis for instance, Malbec and Syrah are helpful. On the other hand, if Malbec is the basis, a Cabernet Franc could provide structure for it is a very aromatic variety, a balsamic wine, which helps improve the aromatic profile if used in small proportions.” In terms of White wines, Pi affirms that the combination is more difficult. “Sauvignon Blanc and Semillón get along well, as in the typical Bordeaux style. Chardonnay and Viognier also work well together; the first one provides pineapple and tropical fruit while the second grants stone fruit flavors such as peach or plum.” The only blend made by Roberto de la Mota, Mendel Unus, combines Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. “This combination is successful because Cabernet provides tannic structure, a skeleton, while Malbec, which is very round wine, fills in this structure and grants complexity to the wine. Playing with other varieties enables us to achieve more complex wines and complexity is one of the most important features looked for in a wine, as it brings together different aromas and attributes." Winemaking “Blends require a respect for the harvest time of each variety,” blend expert Walter Bressia asserts. His wines Conjuro and Bressia Profundo are well known around the world. He adds that each variety has a different behavior with regard to oak. “If Merlot is aged in American oak, it results in certain characteristics; that is why there are blends of wood, with personalized barrel toasting. The costs is also much higher, because the job starts at the vineyard, seeking higher or lower concentrations according to the kind of oak to be used.” With regard to the amount of varieties to be blended, Bressia claims that it depends on the tastes of the winemaker. “If you look at the technical data of French wines, you wonder how 1% of Cabernet Franc can make a difference in a blend. That is the art of blend making -with a minimum expression a wine is different from the rest. The singular taste has to do with what you imagine at that moment. Some French wines are blends of 13 varieties, others of 20 varieties, there are also blends with white grapes. We do not do that here, but the trend will eventually arrive, because as consumers become more knowledgeable, they demand difference.” Daniel Pi comments that the varieties comprising the blend are generally made separately, trying to enhance their varietal features. This is the case in most cases except for when co-fermentation is carried out. “We age the components in separate barrels for at least a year; the blend is then made and it rests six more months in barrel to achieve a better merging.” Roberto de la Mota explains the careful winemaking process undergone by Mendel Unus. This Malbec - Cabernet Sauvignon blend is sourced from grapes from Perdriel and Altamira vineyards. Each varietal is made and aged separately -in new barrels, for 14 to 16 months- and then the blend is produced. “I prefer gaining complexity, that is why I conduct separate aging,” de la Motta specifies. His blend stays in tanks for 3 to 4 months and in bottle for an additional 6 months. Its production comprises 20,000 bottles, 90% of which are exported. In the United States, the bottle is sold for u$s 50, while its price in the domestic market is $160.
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