Every so often we hear people speak about this and it’s always authoritative producers who do so. A return to the practices of blending wines would appear to be a reasonable response, even if partial, to a problem as great as climate change.
For the second time in less than a year, I have heard authoritative wine producers come out in favor of blending. Last November, it was Paolo De Marchi and the latest is none other than Angelo Gaja, who is turning it into an authentic crusade. The justification for returning to blending grape varieties has everything to do with the consequences of climate change. Both De Marchi and Gaja argue that if the climate is becoming an uncontrollable variable, then it is unrealistic to imagine that a single varietal is capable of ensuring constant and consistent quality. Blending different varietals together, on the other hand, would be a logical solution because grapes ripen at different times and should one varietal not be up to par this can be compensated by using other grapes.
Looking back at the history of winemaking, it is easy to see how the choice of making single-varietal wines is much more recent than one would have imagined. Up until at least the adoption of DOCG regulations, in 1980, even wines like Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello di Montalcino were not necessarily based only on Nebbiolo and Sangiovese, respectively, but were allowed to have up to 15% of different varietals, in particular Barbera in Piedmont and Canaiolo and Colorino in Tuscany. This not to mention the international or French varietals that have always been found in the respective areas and vineyards.
Furthermore, the practice of using small additions of other varietals in a wine is found around the world. In Burgundy, for example, it is still allowed to add small quantities of grapes other than Pinot Noir even in the Grand Cru wines. And if you go to Cotes de Nuit you will find that even in the most prestigious vineyards you will find the occasional white grape vine among the red ones, often Aligoté, sometimes Chardonnay. Production regulations in that region define Pinot Noir as the “cépage dominant” but there is an allowance for, if they are varieties that have traditionally been found in the particular vineyard, the addition of other grapes up to a maximum of 15% of the blend.
All this is allowed to compensate for eventual problems related to the ripening of the varietal of reference. At the time, this was allowed for reasons which are the opposite of the problems we have today, sudden and torrential downpours and drought. With their positions, both De Marchi and Gaja are trying to draw attention to and underscore a situation that will become even more pressing in years to come and to offer a possible and concrete response, one which is anything but ideological. All things considered, I am convinced this is something we should all at least be talking about.
