Blending

Many winemakers blend wines, whether from the same or different grape varieties. It is not unusual for winemakers to blend different vintages to ensure consistency of a particular style of wine, and some do it to keep the cost down. For example, in the USA, Chardonnay and Colombard wines are often blended to reduce the cost of expensive Chardonnay.

Not all red grapes blend happily with each other, but some blend to such good effect that a blend is better than each grape on its own. Red Bordeaux is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot - all these grapes are good on their own, but more often than not, they’re better together. Champagne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape are also blended wines.