When you decide to blend wines (or at least the grapes that go to make
up the wine). Do you blend the juice prior to fermentation or do you
make each separate then blend?
I know this is probably an obvious question.

Second part how important is the strain of yeast in imparting flavour to
the wine?

I currently have used a kit to make wine(s) and have used whatever is
supplied in the kit. I have started down the slippery road to looking at
various wine suppliers catalogues. (hence the second question).

I hope to experiment with the Charmat process (I have acquired a
Cornelius keg and CO2 equipment) and am looking for a suitable base wine
to try. - I have read enough (to be dangerous) and know how Champagne is
a blend of three grapes- So I am contimplating what combination to use
and of course what I can lay my hands on.

Any Guidance?

Thank you for your indulgence.

Comercial wineries generally blend after the wine is made. There are
several reasons for this. First, the different graped do not all ripen at
the same time. That is a tough one for them to over come. Next, gapes are
not always the same each year. If they a blending Merlow and Cab.S. , one
year that may need 85% C.S. and 15% Merlow. the next year it may be 78% to
22%.

We as home wine makers have more options than comercial vinyards. We
frequently can get our fruit at one time so we could blend the juice.

I prefer making the individual wines and then blending them. I frequently
do this with different fruit wines or blend fruit wines with grape wines or
mead.

Ray

"John LaBella" > wrote in message
. ..
> When you decide to blend wines (or at least the grapes that go to make
> up the wine). Do you blend the juice prior to fermentation or do you
> make each separate then blend?
> I know this is probably an obvious question.
>
> Second part how important is the strain of yeast in imparting flavour to
> the wine?
>
> I currently have used a kit to make wine(s) and have used whatever is
> supplied in the kit. I have started down the slippery road to looking at
> various wine suppliers catalogues. (hence the second question).
>
> I hope to experiment with the Charmat process (I have acquired a
> Cornelius keg and CO2 equipment) and am looking for a suitable base wine
> to try. - I have read enough (to be dangerous) and know how Champagne is
> a blend of three grapes- So I am contimplating what combination to use
> and of course what I can lay my hands on.
>
> Any Guidance?
>
> Thank you for your indulgence.

John LaBella wrote:

> When you decide to blend wines (or at least the
> grapes that go to make up the wine). Do you
> blend the juice prior to fermentation or do you
> make each separate then blend? I know this is
> probably an obvious question.
>
> Second part how important is the strain of yeast
> in imparting flavour to the wine?

I hope I don't start a flame war over this issue.
I think that the opinions that yeast strains
impart flavour are over stated.

However, different strains do have their own
optimum temperature ranges and their own optimum
pH ranges and their own tolerance for alcohol.
If the yeasties are happy, they will bring out
the best from your fruit. This is the source of
your flavour - and of course the oak you use, if
you are using or aging in oak.

My advice would be that instead of looking at the
propaganda about such and such a yeast imparting
blackberry - blah blah blah and another yeast
imparting cherries - blah blah blah, just decide
before hand your fermentation temperature and pH
and desired alcohol content and choose your yeast
accordingly.


>
> I currently have used a kit to make wine(s) and
> have used whatever is supplied in the kit. I
> have started down the slippery road to looking
> at various wine suppliers catalogues. (hence the
> second question).
>
> I hope to experiment with the Charmat process (I
> have acquired a Cornelius keg and CO2 equipment)
> and am looking for a suitable base wine to try.
> - I have read enough (to be dangerous) and know
> how Champagne is a blend of three grapes- So I
> am contimplating what combination to use and of
> course what I can lay my hands on.
>
> Any Guidance?
>
> Thank you for your indulgence.

On Feb 8, 8:20 am, John LaBella > wrote:
> Do you blend the juice prior to fermentation or do you
> make each separate then blend?

Ray is absolutely correct. Commercial wineries and many home wine
makers blend finished wines. This may not always be practical,
however, if you are working with smaller batches. You shouldn't feel
constrained by this; if you want to try blending in advance of
fermentation, go for it. There's no significant downside.

> Second part how important is the strain of yeast in imparting flavour to
> the wine?

The flavors created by the yeast are going to be more apparent earlier
in the wine's life. As the wine ages, the differences between the
various yeast strains become less significant.

Greg G.

John,

I agree with all the above, especially the diminishing importance of
yeast choice, but let me add:

Although we can more precisely "engineer" a blend after the component
wines are fermented, I prefer not to. My personal experience has been to
harvest my four red varieties as they ripen, and ferment them all
together. Ditto the two whites I blend. Partly out of expedience, partly
in the belief that the conpenents "marry" better, and partly in the
romance of annual variations in the vintage. Essentially my blends are
field blends, but I will hold back on a variety if it's too bountiful
for my style, or draw off some juice as a Saignee. Does it make a
technicaly better wine? Probably not, but it keeps me from overthinking
the process, and I look foward to the differences each year brings.

I might add that I've adjusted the number of each variety, and the size
of each's crop to hit a certain balance. This process continues still,
as I plan on increasing my Cab S. plantings.

Both ways work, but the safer way is to blend after fermenting, unless
you have a prior model to follow.

HTH



--
Mike MTM, Cokesbury, NJ, USA

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Once you have experience with particular vineyard's grapes, you can
reasonably well anticipate how they go together. Some commercial
wineries blend grapes before fermentation on certain varietals which are
known to complement one another year after year.

Gene



Mike McGeough wrote:


> John,
>
> I agree with all the above, especially the diminishing importance of
> yeast choice, but let me add:
>
> Although we can more precisely "engineer" a blend after the component
> wines are fermented, I prefer not to. My personal experience has been to
> harvest my four red varieties as they ripen, and ferment them all
> together. Ditto the two whites I blend. Partly out of expedience, partly
> in the belief that the conpenents "marry" better, and partly in the
> romance of annual variations in the vintage. Essentially my blends are
> field blends, but I will hold back on a variety if it's too bountiful
> for my style, or draw off some juice as a Saignee. Does it make a
> technicaly better wine? Probably not, but it keeps me from overthinking
> the process, and I look foward to the differences each year brings.
>
> I might add that I've adjusted the number of each variety, and the size
> of each's crop to hit a certain balance. This process continues still,
> as I plan on increasing my Cab S. plantings.
>
> Both ways work, but the safer way is to blend after fermenting, unless
> you have a prior model to follow.
>
> HTH
>
>
>

This also eliminates "Odd Lots" - the leftovers
after blending if you blend individual wines and
do not use all the wines in your blend.

Ray, however, did bring up a good point - not all
varieties ripen at the same time. For me, Merlot
ripens about one ferment before Cabernet Franc
and Cabernet Sauvignon ripens about one ferment
after Cabernet Franc. By "One ferment" I mean
about 10 to 14 days difference and this is the
usual amount of time I do primary fermentation.

This works out well for me as I can ferment
seperately and do not have to have multiple
primary fermenters going on at the same time.

A lot of commercial winemaking decisions are based
not only on taste but also on "Logistics"


gene wrote:

> Once you have experience with particular
> vineyard's grapes, you can
> reasonably well anticipate how they go together.
> Some commercial wineries blend grapes before
> fermentation on certain varietals which are
> known to complement one another year after year.
>
> Gene
>
>
>
> Mike McGeough wrote:
>
>
>> John,
>>
>> I agree with all the above, especially the
>> diminishing importance of yeast choice, but let
>> me add:
>>
>> Although we can more precisely "engineer" a
>> blend after the component wines are fermented,
>> I prefer not to. My personal experience has
>> been to
>> harvest my four red varieties as they ripen,
>> and ferment them all
>> together. Ditto the two whites I blend. Partly
>> out of expedience, partly
>> in the belief that the conpenents "marry"
>> better, and partly in the
>> romance of annual variations in the vintage.
>> Essentially my blends are field blends, but I
>> will hold back on a variety if it's too
>> bountiful for my style, or draw off some juice
>> as a Saignee. Does it make a technicaly better
>> wine? Probably not, but it keeps me from
>> overthinking the process, and I look foward to
>> the differences each year brings.
>>
>> I might add that I've adjusted the number of
>> each variety, and the size of each's crop to
>> hit a certain balance. This process continues
>> still, as I plan on increasing my Cab S.
>> plantings.
>>
>> Both ways work, but the safer way is to blend
>> after fermenting, unless you have a prior model
>> to follow.
>>
>> HTH
>>
>>
>>