OK. After a positive experience on my first two kit wines I'm ready to go again. This time I'd like to get 2-3 different red wines, bottle up 2-3 gallons of each and then experiment with the remainder by blending with some from the other(s). Some blends seem a natural - Cabernet/syrah, etc.
Here's my question: Any recommendations on which wines to try and ratios to blend? Any success stories to share?
TIA.
John
Dave,
That's a good tip ---> to experiment in ounces rather than gallons. I should have thought of that!
My primary source for wine kits stocks Ken Ridge and European Select, Bin
49 and Vinterra on the high end. There are other cheaper juices but I thought I would stick with these since the advice I'm getting here is you get what you pay for. Problem is, I'm not seeing cabernet franc or some other grapes that I typically see used in blending.Also, I appreciate the information about the Zin/Pinot. I think I'd read somewhere to try that but I had never seen that done before and was suspect of just how good it could be.
John
As a noob who has been trying a variety of commercial pinot noirs to try to get a feel for what it is, I wonder does anything mix well with pinot noir without destroying its character? I think of it as being quite a tricky wine to pin down and can't imagine it dominating many blends.
Jim
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I am far from an expert on Pinot Noir having drunk very little but most of the ones I have drunk had very little or no oak. The ones that did have noticeable oak, tasted like an oaked Cabernet or oaked Merlot.
If you blend one of the other traditional barrel aged red wines with Pinot, you will probably bash the fruitiness of the Pinot with oak.
I have made a Cabernet Franc / Merlot blend or just a Merlot with no oak and aged in glass and it resembled Pinot Noir more than the traditionally made reds that are for the most part barrel aged.
If you like Pinot but can't get the grapes you might try making another red and aging in glass or stainless. You might be surprised.
All of this is experience from grapes and not kits so your mileage may vary.
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