Written by Clifford Roberts; Photographer Johan Viljoen
Wine marketers often talk about blending, but what is a blend? It’s generally understood to refer to the use of different grape varieties for the compilation of a wine. Blending is, however, much more than that and is used in many ways – even in the making of single variety wines, like a Shiraz.
Significantly, the concept of blending is, in fact, the best possible starting point for wine-lovers seeking a deeper dive into the phenomenon of wine. It is the doorway to the appreciation of the immense complexity and fascinating diversity of wine and indeed the natural environment itself.
By harnessing multiple variables such as soil types, climatic conditions, rootstocks, yeasts, not to mention the characteristics of varieties themselves, a single expression is made. This process is ultimately a massive blend of a myriad of smaller blends.
Just consider the diversity of flavour alone in Shiraz, a variety Swartland producers excel with, alone. To help wine lovers make sense of it, the industry unveiled a so-called “aroma wheel” in November 2024. Its purpose is to provide a guide to the wide range of flavours and aromas most common to the variety as it occurs in South Africa. It was conceived as a joint venture between Shiraz SA, the University of Stellenbosch and South Africa Wine.
As you might imagine, navigating this array of choices can be dizzying, which is why winemakers pursue specific goals for making wine. These include consistency, which is especially important for large producers; complexity, where different grapes or parcels contribute different layers of flavours, aromas and mouthfeel; balance, where one wine’s weaknesses can be compensated by another’s strengths; and house style, a winery’s unique signature profile.
How are wines blended?
There are numerous ways that a wine is blended.
Wines made as field blends refer to the harvest of different grape varieties and vinifying them together. Examples of these include The Sadie Family Wines Skerpioen and ‘T Voetpad.
The most common and well-known technique is a process that begins with harvest and fermentation. Each grape variety or vineyard parcel is usually fermented separately to preserve its unique character.
Once the wines have completed fermentation (and often some maturation), winemakers taste and evaluate them individually. They look for flavour intensity, aromatic profile, acidity and tannin levels, body and structure, and ageing potential.
Small samples are combined in various ratios in a lab or tasting room, where winemakers test versions to find the most harmonious blend. Adjustments are made to balance fruit, tannin, acidity, and alcohol. One wine may add aroma; another might soften texture or boost colour.
Once the ideal combination is found, the wines are blended in bulk in tanks or barrels.
This is the kind of process used for making, for example, Nativo The Birds – a certified organic blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. According to founder and winemaker Billy Hughes, each cultivar is vinified separately to allow flavours to develop fully.
Other examples include the Marras Shiraz Cinsault blend and David & Nadia’s Elpidios, a blend of Grenache noir, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Pinotage.
Blending may, however, also refer to the process that was used in making a single variety wine, like Intellego Syrah, which is whole-bunch fermented for 10 days under semi-carbonic conditions and transferred to large old barrels for another 10 months; and Leeuwenkuil’s flagship wine, the Heritage Syrah.
Typically, a winemaker may wish to vinify different blocks of a single variety vineyard separately. The reason for this would be that the character of fruit in different blocks can differ because of how the soil and climate affect it at that location.
Furthermore, vineyards are grafted on rootstocks, which are varied and introduce another level of complexity to this process.
This is the reason wines differ year to year. They are not perfect replicas – even if, for example, a blend uses the exact same vineyards and compositions in a wine every year. Wines can change and evolve stylistically while maintaining the same blend, just by changing the source of fruit.
Are blended wines any good?
Many people misunderstand the concept of blending, often believing that blended wines are inferior. From the information above, it’s clear that this is an obvious fallacy. Blending wine is a winemaking technique that is part and parcel of wine creation, rather than an indication of quality.
What is a Cape blend?
The South African wine industry developed the concept of a Cape blend as a way of highlighting Pinotage, a variety that originated in the Cape. It was also introduced to show the characterful contribution that Pinotage can make to wines made of different varieties.
An example of this would be Swartland Winery’s Idelia Cape Blend, which uses Pinotage as the dominant variety, alongside Shiraz and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. Idelia means nobility and is a reference to the varieties used for the blend.
• The Swartland Wine and Olive Route is a member organisation comprising the biggest representation of wine and olive producers of the Swartland region.