How do you blend?

[richinsd]

Calling blenders.

I’m looking for some help on the setup for blending. Our three varietals were all fermented and aged separately. It’s fun to design the blend with all the experimantal tasting. But now comes the hard part. It’s time to produce the blend in volume. What size tank? How do you measure? Any additional precautions against oxygen during tranfer/mixing? Bottle right away or wait?

We produce about 50 gallons total every year (combo of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cab Sauv. All aged separately in glass carboys. Have a small vacuum pump setup for racking.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[winemaker81]

We need more information, such as how many blends do you produce, and what size are the batches?

The most affordable container is 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brutes, and larger sizes are made.

O2? I literally don't worry about it. I work efficiently and don't leave the wine exposed to air more than necessary, and add K-meta to address O2 exposure.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I’m looking for some help on the setup for blending. Our three varietals were all fermented and aged separately. It’s fun to design the blend with all the experimantal tasting. But now comes the hard part. It’s time to produce the blend in volume. What size tank? How do you measure? Any additional precautions against oxygen during tranfer/mixing? Bottle right away or wait?

It depends on what you want to accomplish. One wine containing all three, then deal with leftovers? Or keep all three as the main varietal with the others as only minor components? I used a spreadsheet to pick a blend, determine what would be leftover, and also fit the blend into a 3g or 5g carboy. So your next question is bottle right away? You can, some do not but let the blend bulk age another 1-3 months. Then when you taste it hopefully you’ll remember what it tasted like at blending. Put in your notes what you think, it lost something, it needs something, I didn’t go far enough with a component, etc. I would advise against trying to adjust on the fly now. As a wise man once said, the opposite of good is better, or something to that effect. After some bottle aging you may be surprised at how it matures to the better.

As long as you use Kmeta appropriately oxygen shouldn’t be an issue. As always keep carboys well topped off.

 

[vinny]

When do you blend?

 

[Ohio Bob]

When do you blend?

I blend after all/most of the components have bulk aged. So right before I would bottle, I will ask myself, do I have inventory to make a blend. If so then taste, blend, and age another 1-3 months, then bottle. If not enough inventory then just bottle that varietal.

 

[richinsd]

We need more information, such as how many blends do you produce, and what size are the batches?

The most affordable container is 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brutes, and larger sizes are made.

O2? I literally don't worry about it. I work efficiently and don't leave the wine exposed to air more than necessary, and add K-meta to address O2 exposure.

We are doing a single blend (SuperTuscan). Sangiovese is the base with Merlot and Cab added in whatever ratios are needed to get the profile we like. So if we get 20 gallons of Sangiovese and we like a 50/25/25 blend….we would add 10 gallons of Merlot and 10 gallons of Cab. Any residuals we might bottle individually (or blend differently) but the SuperTuscan is the goal.

So in that scenario, would you do 2 batches of 20 gallons each? What do you use to measure and how precise are you?

That example is probably over simplistic because of how nice the math works for 5 gallon carboys (ours carboys are 6.5 gallons so we would have to do some intermediate step to get the right quantities)

But say the profile we chose one year had ratios that worked out to adding 8.2 gallons of Merlot….is there a better way to measure out the Merlot than filling up a gallon jug 8 times (or get 8 jugs…I hate counting) and adding 3.2 cups?

I have Brute cans that we use to ferment, and we have marked the inside at intervals so we can spitball how much must we have but I can’t imagine that would be accurate enough for blending.

 

[richinsd]

I blend after all/most of the components have bulk aged. So right before I would bottle, I will ask myself, do I have inventory to make a blend. If so then taste, blend, and age another 1-3 months, then bottle. If not enough inventory then just bottle that varietal.

We are aging all the varietal separately and then blending. I hadn’t thought about letting the “blended” bulk age in carboys any longer … I had assumed we would bottle immediately and let it sit another 6months or longer. But maybe back to carboy is a good idea. You could continue to taste without opening up a bottle. Hmmm. Thanks!

 

[winemaker81]

@richinsd, you didn't mention how much of each varietal you're making, so I'm guessing on max amounts. Unless you purchase an extra-large Brute, then ~20 gallon groupings is probably about right.

How precise am I? The honest answer is "not very", certainly not below the quart level.

I don't fine-tune the blends below the quart level, as VERY few (if any) people can tell the difference if two 10 US gallon batches vary by 3 cups of one varietal. In decades of wine tastings, I've yet to meet anyone that sensitive.

This fall I'll be blending a field blend (Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah) into Grenache and into Tempranillo. For each wine I'll make up samples of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of the blending wine into each base, and we'll blind taste test them. [Yeah, I know, if anyone can't pick out the Grenache immediately they are blind and have no taste buds.] I have an experienced palate, but don't honestly believe I'll be any happier if I try to fine tune the blend more.

How to measure? My 7.9 US gallon primary fermenter is graduated at half-gallon increments to 5 US gallons. I'll use that to measure the Grenache (roughly 20 US gallons) into a Brute . I'll use the same primary to measure the blending wine, and if the amount isn't an even half gallon amount, I'll eyeball it. If I was being more precise, I'd sanitize a 4 cup measure and use that.

If you want to determine how sensitive your palate is, make up three 1 gallon batches of your chosen blend, being as accurate as possible. Add 2 extra cups of Merlot to one and two extra cups of CS to another. Blind test the 3 to see if anyone can pick out major differences AND rank them from best to worst.

The results may surprise you.

 

[ChuckD]

If you want to be precise You could measure by weight. I assume wine weighs approximately the same as water (8.34 lbs/gallon)

 

[Jim Welch]

I use a scale when filling kegs all the time, mostly so I know when they are approaching full and to minimize loss. In my experience wine is a wee bit lighter than water, due to the alcohol I presume. I only make dry wine so sweet wines may be heavier due to higher residual sugar, idk. The advantage of using a scale is you can zero in on the exact blend percentage you’re aiming for, IF that is important to you.

 

[distancerunner]

Blending after bulk aging gives you more options than doing a field blend.

We are doing a single blend (SuperTuscan). Sangiovese is the base with Merlot and Cab added in whatever ratios are needed to get the profile we like. So if we get 20 gallons of Sangiovese and we like a 50/25/25 blend….we would add 10 gallons of Merlot and 10 gallons of Cab. Any residuals we might bottle individually (or blend differently) but the SuperTuscan is the goal.

So in that scenario, would you do 2 batches of 20 gallons each? What do you use to measure and how precise are you?

That example is probably over simplistic because of how nice the math works for 5 gallon carboys (ours carboys are 6.5 gallons so we would have to do some intermediate step to get the right quantities)

But say the profile we chose one year had ratios that worked out to adding 8.2 gallons of Merlot….is there a better way to measure out the Merlot than filling up a gallon jug 8 times (or get 8 jugs…I hate counting) and adding 3.2 cups?

I have Brute cans that we use to ferment, and we have marked the inside at intervals so we can spitball how much must we have but I can’t imagine that would be accurate enough for blending.

Not clear which batches are two at twenty. Seems there are three batches. But, assuming the two that you refer to are Merlot and Cab Sauv, larger batches of the blenders gives more options.

Say you decide on the 50:25:25 ratio. If you have twenty gallon batches of the two blenders you will have ten gallons of each left over after creating the Super Tuscan. What you do with those twenty gallons are up to you. Right bank Bordeaux, left bank Bordeaux, blend 50:50, bottle as varietals, the sky is pretty much the limit.

Just remember to write everything down so you can learn from your blending trials.

We are aging all the varietal separately and then blending. I hadn’t thought about letting the “blended” bulk age in carboys any longer … I had assumed we would bottle immediately and let it sit another 6months or longer. But maybe back to carboy is a good idea. You could continue to taste without opening up a bottle. Hmmm. Thanks!

Holding the blend in bulk for a few months is a good idea. When you blend two wines that you previously deemed stable, combining the two can cause the resulting wine to be unstable. Holding for a few months before bottling allows you to discover any instability and correct it.

 

[CDrew]

The thing I do not understand about blending, is: after doing taste trials with young wine, how do you know how that blend will taste in 2-3 years when you drink it? And since you don't, that's why precision is not super important.

With the varietals here, I'd make a nice Super Tuscan at some easy ratio (like the 50:25:25 you mention) then bottle up whats left as single varietals. Or, since I love Sangiovese, bottle up the leftover as a single varietal and blend the Merlot and Cabernet and bottle that. Or, likely what I would do, is just take all the wine you have and blend it together. You are not going to throw any wine out, so make the best of it. You won't actually know how you did for 2-3 years.

For me, I tend to blend leftovers. Make the wine as single varietals and bottle, then blend ALL the leftover wine into one wine, (note the LACK of precision here) and call it good. In 7 years of wine making this has never failed me. And every year, I look forward to seeing how the blend turned out. I've blended some odd characters like Zinfandel/Syrah/Tempernillo/Barbera (this is actually my 2020 blend) and honestly, it's great, so don't sweat the percentages too much. Spend your mental effort on making technically great wine, then blend it or not as you see fit. But don't worry about the details. Good wine unblended, will make good wine blended. I like wine with food, and blended wines typically make good food wines.

 

[richinsd]

Holding the blend in bulk for a few months is a good idea. When you blend two wines that you previously deemed stable, combining the two can cause the resulting wine to be unstable. Holding for a few months before bottling allows you to discover any instability and correct it.

I did not know that. Thanks!

 

[winemaker81]

The thing I do not understand about blending, is: after doing taste trials with young wine, how do you know how that blend will taste in 2-3 years when you drink it? And since you don't, that's why precision is not super important.

Good point. However, IME if I like a red Vinifera at bottling, I'll like it a year or 3 later. Yes, it's going to change as it matures, but it will be good. I've found that all the red Vinifera I've tried blend fine. Some blends may be better than others, but all are good.

@richinsd, the hard part for you is that every bit of advice in this thread is valid. One of the difficulties in learning winemaking is that there can be multiple conflicting yet valid answers to a question, and blending falls in this category.

So ... YOU need to make a decision on what technique sounds best to you. This is not a pass/fail exam -- it's a pass/pass exam -- you can't do it wrong.

One of my mantras: The enemy of Good is not Bad, the true enemy is Better. When you have a blend you like, go with it. Efforts to further "fine tune" the wine is more likely to make things worse, not better.

Oh, and have fun. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Snafflebit]

For me, I tend to blend leftovers. Make the wine as single varietals and bottle, then blend ALL the leftover wine into one wine, (note the LACK of precision here) and call it good. In 7 years of wine making this has never failed me. And every year, I look forward to seeing how the blend turned out. I've blended some odd characters like Zinfandel/Syrah/Tempernillo/Barbera (this is actually my 2020 blend) and honestly, it's great, so don't sweat the percentages too much. Spend your mental effort on making technically great wine, then blend it or not as you see fit. But don't worry about the details. Good wine unblended, will make good wine blended. I like wine with food, and blended wines typically make good food wines.

That is what I do, blend the leftovers. I am not going to throw away good wine and often the blend is surprisingly good.

 

[wood1954]

I just did my first bench trial blending Syrah with Marquette. I used five oz of Marquette in five glasses then added 1,2,3,4,5 oz Syrah. I let the wine sit for a few minutes before tasting. I liked the fifty/fifty blend the best.
However I should have also done the reverse and added small amounts of Marquette to five oz of Syrah.

 

[winemaker81]

However I should have also done the reverse and added small amounts of Marquette to five oz of Syrah.

Is there any reason you cannot conduct a second test?

 

[wood1954]

Yes, I’ve already bottled it. I will probably get a Pinot noir juice bucket this fall and blend that with my 2023 vintage grapes. I currently have a Cabernet Sauvignon juice bucket that tastes good so I’m going to blend that.

 

[crushday]

Here's a great article - I think it's free...

https://winemakermag.com/article/674-the-joys-of-blending

 

[Hazelemere]

Blending IMHO should be based on optimizing flavours and smells e.g.

low acid + high acid

low tannin + high tannin

low acid + high tannin

high acid + low tannin

high tannin + high acid + dextrose

e.g. Syrah + Viognier to get Syrah body with Viognier smell (i.e. red + white)

The trick is to avoid "paint by varietals (numbers) e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon + Merlot + Cabernet Franc has to the best. No it doesn't.