Custom Blend

Over the weekend, we attended a wine blending class at Bookcliff Vineyards in Boulder.  They grow their grapes on the Western slope of Colorado.  

We started by tasting and discussing 3 varietals right out of their barrels: Cab Franc, Merlot, and Malbec.  This was the second time we drank wine right out of the barrel.  It is brash and in your face.  The characteristics of the wines were pretty much lost on both of us, and what came to our minds as we swirled and sipped was nowhere close to our fellow classmates.  At this point we were feeling a bit out of our league, but there was wine to be made.  So, we put our best foot forward and learned a thing or two.

The purpose of blending is to create a balanced wine where one varietal may have "holes", so to speak.  For example, the Cab Franc is perfumey with a longer finish.  The Merlot was more tannic and filled in the mid-palate, and finally, the Malbec had a lot of intensity with up front taste.  All together you get the best attributes from each for a well rounded wine.

The next step was to start blending.  There really isn't a science to it.  We were told a good place to start was 33% of each mixed together, take a quick taste, and then start increasing and decreasing the varietals from there based on what you like.  Make another blend, and compare it to the last and so on and so forth.

Chris's custom blend is 40% Merlot, 40% Malbec, 20% Cab Franc and was the second variation we tested.  Erica's custom blend is 80% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 5% Cab Franc and was the fifth variation.  We made and tasted 10 blends all together.  

The final step was corking our bottles and making wine labels.  We will wait for a few months at the least before we try them.  The wine should settle down and taste considerably better in about a month.  Even the wine from the beginning of the class to the end really opened up and improved.  We are looking forward to the finished product.