Thoughts and Advice for Blending

[rickswine]

I have a WE Merlot that has been aging for about 3 months and I'm thinking ahead about doing some blending.

I'm fairly new (4 kits under my belt) but wanted to know what you all thought about blending and any ideas you might have about when to do it and tricks on ratios of wines to be blended.

I am thinking of bottling about 4 gals of the merlot and would like to take two gals and blending it with one gal of blackberry wine. I haven't done a fruit wine so could I use a commercial blackberry wine. I do have a good, fairly cheap, commercial brand that my wife likes.

Didn't know if it was okay to blend my homemade and a commercial and would it keep bottled for awhile.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Arne]

Sure you can blend it. I would do a bit of testing first tho. Take a glass of your wine, add maybe a quarter of the amount or so of the commercial. See how you like it. Now try it 50/50 then 25/75. If you find a good mix, blend away. If you don't like it, you won't have wasted a big batch. Arne.

 

[Rocky]

I do something very similar to what Arne recommended. I suggest getting three galsses and making up various ratios, e.g. 50-50, 60-40 & 75-25. Then do your taste comparison. With the glasses made up, you can go back and forth in comparing them. You can also tweak the ratio if you find your preference falls between two ratios and make up a 65-35, for example. Use a graduated cylinder if you can get your hands on one but at least a measuring cup. I really like to blend. Good luck with yours.

 

[GreginND]

All are giving good advice. No problem blending commercial wine with your wine. We do it all the time when we add a bottle to top up a carboy!

I would also add that it is best to do your blending trials after it has aged and you are getting nearer to bottling. You want the wine to be as close to tasting like you are going to drink it when you blend. A young wine can still change a lot and if you blend it early it may not develop like you think.

 

[rickswine]

Thanks all for the advice, especially on how to determine the ratios. I like dry reds but my wife is an off dry person. Thus the blending with the blackberry wine. I'd like to go more for a blackberry flavor then a blackberry taste so the 3 glass testing that Rocky suggests sounds great.

I was also interested in maybe blending a little of the Merlot with a Cab. That should blend nice for something a bit different and maybe a littler fuller body and taste.

Thanks again. Any more advice is much appreciated.

 

[Arne]

Well if you do enough blending you mite wind up a bit After you decide you like it, you mite wait and try it again the next day, trying the blend you like first instead of last. It might change flavors a bit. Arne.