Basic blending question

[BigDaveK]

This damn hobby will not stop sending me on tangents!!!!!

I recently fell in love with the back end heat from a jelly wine I made. I have to add that kick, big or little, to other wines. After careful consideration it looks like blending will save time with experimentation, keeping my fingers crossed, and prayer. Worst case scenario I would have 9 pepper wines but realistically I'm looking at 5.

My question - Say for example I like a blend of 75% tomato wine and 25% Black Hungarian pepper wine. In the future could I use a recipe with 75% tomatoes and 25% Black Hungarian peppers? Is there a direct correlation?

 

[winemaker81]

The best answer to your question is "maybe".

Each batch of wine is unique, so exactly duplicating a recipe can produce different results, based upon the fruit, fermenting conditions, etc. If you repeat the conditions of the original blend (make separately, blend 75/25) the quality of the two new wines may be different, e.g., heat may be more or less. It will probably be close, but there are no guarantees.

Blending the fruit up front locks you in -- you're gonna get what you get. Probably close, but again, no guarantees.

Me? I'm comfortable with field blends. I research the grapes involved, compare qualities, and roll the dice. Your situation is a bit more difficult, as the qualities of the two wines (especially the pepper) are a bit more difficult to judge. If you're making a gallon batch, it's not a lot of risk.

 

[Rocky]

It sounds like you are trying to compare blending with co-fermenting (or field blending) and my understanding is that there is little to no difference, at least when making wines from grapes. The main advantage of blending, i.e., mixing the wines after fermentation is that you can control the ratio of the two or more fruits. If you co-ferment, you are locked in on the ratio, except if you add more of one of the fermented wines. This can lead to another bag of problems. I sense that you are happy with the 3:1 tomato to pepper wine, so co-fermenting should be fine for you.

I make a 3:1 Zinfandel to Muscat wine and I have done it both ways, co-fermenting and blending. It did not seem to make a difference to me, but that is only anecdotal evidence.

 

[winemaker81]

I make a 3:1 Zinfandel to Muscat wine and I have done it both ways, co-fermenting and blending. It did not seem to make a difference to me, but that is only anecdotal evidence.

Some folks fine tune their blends, and it works for them.

my palate isn't good enough, as if I made 3 blends and taste test them 3 days in a row, I may make different choices. So I don't sweat it, as all 3 blends (in this situation) are pleasing.

 

[BigDaveK]

Thanks guys!
This will definitely be at least a 2 year project with the pepper wines being on deck this year. Super sweet to super hot and a few in between. I'm REALLY curious about the result. Fortunately I have FINALLY embraced patience and time has simply become another ingredient.

As for my palate? "Close" would definitely work.