Around the blend

While stocking up at the Picton LCBO last Wednesday, Kimberly and I got into a conversation with Tom, who suggested an article explaining the differences between single varietal wines, blended wines, and meritages. I suspect each and every LCBO employee fields this question on a daily basis.

The single varietal is easy to explain: the contents in the bottle will contain wine made exclusively from the grape varietal listed on the label. The only challenge here is to select the country and region where this varietal grows. Distinct regions within a country of origin can offer provide truly sublime differences. Prime examples are Burgundy that is typically produced from pinot noir, or chablis that is made from chardonnay grapes. In the late 1970s, the French wine house of Louis Latour had to begin flagging the varietal on their labels in order to protect their market share. North American and Australian consumers had become accustomed to selecting wine by varietal.

Blended wines are a different beast entirely. In Bordeaux, red wines are—with a few exceptions—made with any combination of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, carménère, petit verdot and malbec varietals. Although the great reds of the Rhône Valley are grenache-driven, Château- Neuf-du-Pape can contain up to 14 other varietals. The red wines from Languedoc are routinely created from a blend of grenache, cinsault, syrah and mourvèdre. The name of the exceptional American wine, Cain 5, is a dead giveaway as a blend. As for white blends, Conundrum from California enjoys a legion of avid supporters.

Within the County, there are a number of wineries that blend varietals to achieve the desired result of the wine maker: Hillier Estates with their Colonel Cuvée, By Chadsey’s Cairns with their Three Point Hitch, and Trail Estate with their gewürztraminer/riesling blend that make the angels sing.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
The 2012 vintage allowed County winemakers to reset the bar for their standard of excellence. I was recently allowed a tactile glimpse into a wonderment from that year, which is soon to be released from Huff Estates.

The Huff 2012 South Bay Merlot is absolutely delicious, extremely well-crafted and aged in a combination of new and old oak barrels. The grapes were harvested from vines—then 13 years old—that vigorously display their maturity. This superb creation by the Huff team and winemaker Frederick Picard has exceptional nose, stunning mouthfeel, and a long finish that beggars the mind. For best results, decant this wine prior to indulging and, whilst doing so, admire the new uber-classy label.

From nose to tail, this wine is a treat best shared—but you could be forgiven for quaffing all by your onesy. Huff Estates is on County Rd. 1, west of highway 62.