A Pinch of That, A Pinch of This!

There is much to consider when making wine. So much so, that when I really think about it, it boggles my mind. Everything from what varietal to grow and make to which barrels to use, to when to bottle and release it. Within each of these decisions there are literally hundreds if not thousands of possibilities! And we haven’t even talked about all of the possibilities of blending!

When you purchase a bottle of wine and it is labeled by its varietal name, this indicates it is at least 75% of that variety. In Oregon, many wines labeled with their varietal name must be 90%. Then there are the plethora of lovely blends that do not contain the 75% of one varietal. These can often consist of a combination of more than three or four different complimentary wines. A perfect example would be a Claret (also known as a Bordeaux blend) which would most definitely contain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc but might also include Petite Verdot and/or Malbec. Just how much of each wine to add to make just the right recipe is determined by the wine maker and varies from year to year depending on the characteristics of the wines. Spangler Vineyards makes an excellent Claret among so many other quality wines. Pat Spangler wine maker and co owner of the winery along with his wife Loree, truly understands the art of blending.

There are many blends out there that are not classic blends so are not dictated to some degree by a certain “recipe” of even the type of grapes used. A perfect example is Bulls Blood which is purposely an unorthodox mix of red grapes varieties. So how to decide what goes in and how much of any one grape? A daunting thought to me. One of my favorite blends is a fairly new concept that has caught on in a very big way all over the world and that is the marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. But just how much Syrah and how much Cab? Dyson DeMara wine maker and along with his wife Susan owns HillCrest Vineyards, makes a Cab, Syrah, Zinfandel blend that is out of this world! How did that come about and how did he decide how much of each wine would result in the best combination? Dyson is one of the most talented wine makers I have had the pleasure of meeting and he makes it look easy! It is obviously not easy as the possibilities are potentially infinite. And, if it was so easy, then why are there so many mediocre and bad wines in the world?

As I was out barrel tasting some wines this weekend, which by the way were absolutely amazing, I was struck by just how much artistry goes into putting together a bottle of wine. How much needs to be done, but also how much needs to be truly understood about each different wine. The time and commitment involved with following a wine as it evolves is huge and the ability to understand each wines personality and structure comes from experience. To have the palate necessary to taste a wine and know which direction you want to take it or better yet, honoring the direction the wine itself wants to go, is nothing short of amazing. Next time you open a quality bottle of wine, those wines that really make your mouth sing ( and we here in the Umpqua Valley have so many premium local wines that do just that), think about all the artistry that makes it just that way…Wow!