Blend
Blend
Blend in wine means combining two or more different grape varieties, vineyard parcels, fermented wines or vintages to create a more balanced, complex and consistent final product. Blending is a key technique used to improve quality, enhance flavors and achieve specific wine styles.
See Also
Natural Wine
Natural wine is produced with minimal intervention, using organic or biodynamic grapes and little to no additives, synthetic chemicals, preservatives or artificial yeasts. There is no legal definition for natural wine and it is often described as a winemaking philosophy, rather than a strict style.
Marsala
Marsala is a fortified wine produced from indigenous grapes in Sicily, Italy. It is fortified with grape spirits and typically has 15-20% alcohol by volume.
Prosecco
Prosecco refers to the Italian sparkling white wine which is crafted from at least 85% Glera grapes in Northeast Italy. It is produced using the Charmat (tank) method, typically light, fresh and fruit forward.
Dry Wine
A dry wine is a wine that contains very little to no residual sugar, resulting in a flavor profile that lacks sweetness. It is defined by sugar levels (often under 4g/L) and not by mouth drying tannins.
Fortified Wine
Fortified wine is a style of wine to which a distilled spirit (usually brandy) has been added, resulting in a higher alcohol content (15-22%). The spirits are either added during fermentation to create sweet wines like Port, or after fermentation to craft dry wines like Sherry.
Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine refers to the type of wine with significant amounts of carbon dioxide dissolved in it, which makes it fizzy or bubbly. Carbon dioxide is introduced through a secondary fermentation process in the bottle (e.g., Champagne) or tank (Prosecco).
Sec
'Sec" refers to the French word for "dry" and its meaning in wine varies depending on the wine type. In still wines, sec wines have very little residual sugar (less than 4 g/L), while in sparkling wines and Champagne, "sec" indicates an off dry or slightly sweet style with 17-35 g/L of residual sugar.
Rosé
Rosé is a type of wine that is made from red grapes that gains its signature pink color through brief contact with the grape skins. Rosé combines the crispness of white wine with the red fruit flavors of red wine, featuring notes of red fruit, flowers, citrus and melon.