French Winemaker Blends Varietals, Vintages and Regions

Bordeaux winemakers used to make a practice of blending Bordeaux with Syrah from the Northern Rhone, to smooth out a demanding vintage, but at the turn of the century this practice came to a halt due to rules, regulations and tradition.

Now French winemaker, Alexandre Sirech, is sidestepping rules and blending both varietals, vintages and regions with the goal of gaining consistency in his red wine, Les Deux Terroirs. However, this practice disqualifies his wines for traditional labeling as he cannot include region specific specs. The wine will automatically receive bottom-rung French designation, "vin de table," on the label, because it cannot be defined by one region. Les Deux Terroirs is a blend of 2005 Merlot (90%) from Bordeaux and a 2003 Syrah (10%) from southern France. A gutsy move to buck French winemaking rules, but may be the first of many... read more...