Penfolds<\/a> with their G3 wine here in Australia, which are all multi-vintage still wines that fetch prices only accessible to the wealthiest would suggest they can sit amongst the highest quality wines of any category.
\nMaybe it is just a philosophical difference: are you a romantic or a hedonist?
\nSingle vintage wines draw on the romance of wine to a certain extent \u2013 in the bottle is all the vagaries of year, much of the charm can often be found in the \u201cblemishes\u201d as much as the perfectly executed elements. It allows us to join the \u201cjourney\u201d of a given wine by experiencing and understanding its character little by little with each vintage released.
\nOn the other hand, a perfectionist is likely to pull every lever at their disposal if they can.
\nfor many, the variation from vintage to vintage is a factor to be minimised and smoothed out by careful blending \u2013 the pursuit for the perfect wine where no factor is immune from being moderated or modified. blend grapes to balance each varieties character, blend barrels\/vineyard\/regions etc. for the same reason, and you can get closer to the \u201cperfect\u201d wine. Assuming you know what that is, and what it should look like.
\nMaybe it is simply a lack of awareness around the technique given it is not commonly promoted or championed by producers or sellers. As it stands, a wine with the vintage printed on the label only has to have a minimum 85 per cent of wine from that vintage, so you may well have had many wines with a splash or two of an older (or younger) vintages in the blend. It\u2019s a valid technique, that can certainly contribute to a more enjoyable glass of wine than otherwise when applied properly (as with every technique and tool).
\nThe reputation of a producer like Domaine de Marcoux in the Rhone Valley should eliminate any hesitation at picking up a non-vintage still wine. A producer so focused on constant improvement year-in year-out isn\u2019t going to release a wine of less than stellar quality.
\nTheir Raisin de Loup ($27) isn\u2019t Chateauneuf-du-Pape and nor should it be, you need a delicious early drinking red that is simple in terms of being easy-drinking while still clearly showing the class of the fruit and the grower \u2013 both serve their purpose for different reasons. This is blended across two great years in the Rhone Valley, driven by Grenache for which the producer is famed along with some Shiraz and Carignan.
\nIt\u2019s lively and pure in nature driven by fleshy red and black berries, avoiding much of the barnyard funky notes that can dampen some wines in the region. It starts to show some earth, licorice, meat and pepper towards the back of the palate where it tightens up just enough with some fine tannins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A non\/multi-vintage wine – the concept is not a new or unique one. It is perfectly acceptable in sparkling wine where vintage blends are the norm and make up the bulk of production, likewise in fortified wines. But to think of a vintage blend in a still wine is a little far-fetched for many, something […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":32308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-32307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGrapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A non\/multi-vintage wine – the concept is not a new or unique one. It is perfectly acceptable in sparkling wine where vintage blends are the norm and make up the bulk of production, likewise in fortified wines. But to think of a vintage blend in a still wine is a little far-fetched for many, something [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Geelong Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"362\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Corks Crew\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Corks Crew\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Corks Crew\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81cde2b4dd249fffeba19f49fce67c3a\"},\"headline\":\"Grapevine: Blended to perfection\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":572,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Living\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/\",\"name\":\"Grapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg\",\"width\":362,\"height\":550,\"caption\":\"Marcoux Rasin de Loup.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/living\\\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Grapevine: Blended to perfection\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Geelong Times\",\"description\":\"Free local news\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Geelong Times\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/times_logo_1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/prod\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/21\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/times_logo_1.png\",\"width\":248,\"height\":37,\"caption\":\"Geelong Times\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/81cde2b4dd249fffeba19f49fce67c3a\",\"name\":\"Corks Crew\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Corks Crew\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\\\/geelongtimes\\\/author\\\/corkscrew\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times","og_description":"A non\/multi-vintage wine – the concept is not a new or unique one. It is perfectly acceptable in sparkling wine where vintage blends are the norm and make up the bulk of production, likewise in fortified wines. But to think of a vintage blend in a still wine is a little far-fetched for many, something [...]Read More...","og_url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/","og_site_name":"Geelong Times","article_published_time":"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":362,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Corks Crew","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Corks Crew","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/"},"author":{"name":"Corks Crew","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/person\/81cde2b4dd249fffeba19f49fce67c3a"},"headline":"Grapevine: Blended to perfection","datePublished":"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/"},"wordCount":572,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg","articleSection":["Living"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/","name":"Grapevine: Blended to perfection - Geelong Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-20T14:46:20+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-21T00:18:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/05\/Marcoux-Rasin-de-Loup.jpg","width":362,"height":550,"caption":"Marcoux Rasin de Loup."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/living\/grapevine-blended-to-perfection\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Grapevine: Blended to perfection"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/","name":"Geelong Times","description":"Free local news","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#organization","name":"Geelong Times","url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/09\/times_logo_1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/09\/times_logo_1.png","width":248,"height":37,"caption":"Geelong Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/#\/schema\/person\/81cde2b4dd249fffeba19f49fce67c3a","name":"Corks Crew","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/022a90fb64b71073c7cd7fe762e805a5b5436ed70c0cb44ade43a72f6e9c7e67?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Corks Crew"},"url":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/author\/corkscrew\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32307"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=32307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}