Making your own blends

[KillerB]

Just been thinking about this. It's been mooted as a possiblility before about taking Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas and Terra Feita from the same year year - we seem to have a 1988 thing going on some time. What about blending from completely different producers, say Dow and Graham, or different years?

As they have quite distinct profiles, it could be done with LBVs, Rubies or Tawnies, or even better - all of them.

What experiences have we got in doing this and what were the results?

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've never tried blending my own port, but it might be worth an experiment one day - perhaps a theme for a blind tasting! I can imagine that the product of blending together some of the tired old wines I've been drinking recently with some younger, fruitier and fresher wines would produce something much more enjoyable. I might buy a bottles of Six Grapes tonight on the way home and try it out.

The only UK shipper who I know used to do this back in the days when it was permitted to bottle in the UK, was Avery. They used to blend their own mix from a single vintage and different shippers to give what they considered to be a superior blend sold under their own name. I've not tried enough of their wines to be able to comment on whether they were right to do this or not.

Alex

[mosesbotbol]

We've done this a couple of times, but it was more just dumping the remaining bottles into one, if that constitutes a blend. They were all decent, but mixing various vintages that have been open for 8+ hours is a far cry from actually blending. We did not say 2 parts this, 1 part that... Our blends were a last ditch effort on making a "to go" bottle from the left-over's.

[uncle tom]

This Offley '85 I'm currently drinking could quite easily be passed off as a blend of the Fonseca and Taylor '85's..

With so many wines to choose from, there seems little call for blending except, possibly, as Alex suggests; to breathe a little life back into an old and very tired wine.

I recall a very old bottle coming to auction that was labelled as a 'refreshed' tawny, which I assume came from a tired old pipe of the brown stuff that had been cut with a dash of ruby - I'm not sure if anyone here bought it..?

Tom

[mosesbotbol]

I thought it’s common for port coming out of old pipes to be blended a little with a young port to get to the right viscosity.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I thought it’s common for port coming out of old pipes to be blended a little with a young port to get to the right viscosity.

I don't know what the regulations say for a colheita port. Perhaps there is a tolerance which allows for a little bit of blending to make an improved wine.

Alex

[Glenn E.]

I thought it’s common for port coming out of old pipes to be blended a little with a young port to get to the right viscosity.

I don't know what the regulations say for a colheita port. Perhaps there is a tolerance which allows for a little bit of blending to make an improved wine.

I don't believe that is within regulations - Colheita is a single year Port like Vintage Port.

A 40-yr old, on the other hand, is absolutely a blend and does contain younger Ports in order to improve balance, viscosity, etc.

[mosesbotbol]

I thought it’s common for port coming out of old pipes to be blended a little with a young port to get to the right viscosity.

I don't know what the regulations say for a colheita port. Perhaps there is a tolerance which allows for a little bit of blending to make an improved wine.

I don't believe that is within regulations - Colheita is a single year Port like Vintage Port.

A 40-yr old, on the other hand, is absolutely a blend and does contain younger Ports in order to improve balance, viscosity, etc.

It doesn't take much to thin it a little. I was told this by someone whose opinion and knowledge on the Douro I respect and most of us know. I won't mention his name as I am stating something he told me about 6 months ago.

Just like they aren't suppose to add caramel colouring to port but they do.