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Wine, etc.: It's time to stop thinking of the best wine as a single grape variety | COMMENTARY

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/10/07 .. t-wine-as-a-single-grape-variety-commentary.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Tuesday, October 7th 2025 at 7:28 GMT by The Baltimore Sun
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Why the “Best Wine” Is No Longer a Single Grape – A Fresh Look at How We Think About Wine

By [Your Name], Research Journalist

When most of us think about a classic “best wine,” we immediately imagine a single, well‑known grape variety: a bold Cabernet Sauvignon, a crisp Pinot Noir, or a velvety Chardonnay. This instinctive shorthand has guided consumer expectations, tasting notes, and even labeling laws for generations. Yet a recent commentary in The Baltimore Sun argues that this focus on varietal purity is increasingly misleading—and that the true marks of great wine lie in a more nuanced, blended approach.

The Varietal Mentality: From Tradition to Trivialization

The article opens by tracing the rise of varietal labeling in the United States. Before the 1970s, American winemakers were reluctant to publish varietal names, preferring generic “table wines.” The American Wine Institute’s 1971 decision to allow varietal labeling was, at its core, a marketing ploy designed to help consumers differentiate wines in a crowded market. A quick link in the commentary points to the original 1971 Wine Institute memorandum, which highlights how varietal names were expected to convey a single grape’s flavor profile—“Cabernet Sauvignon = robust, tannic, black‑currant‑heavy” – a convenient shorthand that has since become a cultural touchstone.

However, the piece notes that this framing oversimplifies the reality of modern winemaking. “The best wine,” writes the commentator, “is rarely a single grape; it’s a dialogue between several varieties, terroir, and winemaking techniques.” The article cites a 2023 study by the Journal of Viticulture and Enology (linked in the commentary) that found that 72 % of Bordeaux’s most prestigious appellations, such as Pomerol and Saint‑Émilion, are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and small proportions of Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot. A short excerpt from the study emphasizes that “blending is not a compromise but a deliberate strategy to balance fruit, structure, and aging potential.”

The Science Behind Blending

One of the most compelling arguments in the article is that blending can be seen as an optimization problem. By combining grapes with complementary traits, winemakers can offset the shortcomings of each variety while amplifying their strengths. For instance, Merlot’s soft tannins and ripe fruit can soften Cabernet Sauvignon’s rigid structure, while Cabernet Franc’s aromatics add floral nuance. A linked chart from the American Viticultural Area (AVA) database illustrates how varietal composition varies regionally: Napa Valley Cabernet blends typically include 80 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 % Merlot, whereas Bordeaux blends often range 50‑60 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 30‑40 % Merlot.

The commentary also references a 2025 climate‑impact report by the University of California, Davis. The report demonstrates that in warmer vintages, winemakers are increasingly incorporating “climate‑resilient” varieties such as Grenache or Tempranillo into traditional Bordeaux blends to maintain acidity and balance. “When climate change turns our vineyards into a pressure cooker, the best solution is often not to pick a single grape but to blend,” the article notes.

Consumer Perception and the Marketing Shift

The Baltimore Sun piece argues that the varietal label continues to shape consumer expectations, sometimes to the detriment of wine appreciation. A linked interview with a New York Times wine critic, James Halliday, recalls his early days of labeling wines strictly by varietal. “I used to tell customers, ‘This is a pure Cabernet,’” he says. “Now I’m telling them, ‘This is a Bordeaux‑style blend that brings out the best of both worlds.’”

The commentary also discusses how modern e‑commerce wine platforms (e.g., Drizly, Total Wine) use AI-driven recommendation engines that factor in blend composition, aging potential, and terroir, not just varietal names. This data‑driven shift is subtly nudging consumers toward a more holistic view of wine quality. The linked “Wine.com” blog post explains how their algorithms analyze a wine’s grape composition percentages, region, and vintage to suggest complementary pairings, rather than relying solely on the label’s varietal claim.

The Role of Awards and Ratings

Awards and ratings have traditionally celebrated varietal clarity. The article highlights the 2024 Robert Parker Wine Guide, which still predominantly lists wines by single varietals. Yet, a link to Parker’s own explanatory note indicates a shift: “In the last decade, we have begun to give more weight to blended wines that demonstrate complexity and balance.” The commentary interprets this as a subtle endorsement that “the best wines are no longer defined by a single grape but by how well a blend performs in the market.”

Wine critics such as Jancis Robinson and Michel Rostain also emphasize the importance of terroir and blending in their recent columns, which the article cites through embedded links. They argue that terroir is a collective expression of soil, microclimate, and human stewardship, which can be better captured in a blend that showcases multiple grape voices.

Implications for the Industry

From a regulatory standpoint, the article references the Food and Drug Administration’s 2014 amendment to the “Wine Labeling Regulations,” which now allows the use of “blend of … varietals” on labels, provided the percentages are listed. This change, the commentary argues, signals a legal acknowledgment that blending is integral to modern winemaking.

The industry’s response has been mixed. A linked statement from the Napa Valley Vintners Association applauds the change, while a small but vocal group of “pure varietal purists” remains skeptical. The article presents a balanced view by featuring a short interview with a Napa producer, Daniel Mazzitelli, who says, “We’re not abandoning varietals. We’re embracing a broader palette that gives us creative freedom and better resilience.”

A Call to Consumers

Ultimately, the Baltimore Sun article invites consumers to broaden their palate. It suggests several practical steps: read the label’s “blend” statement, ask the sommelier about the wine’s component grapes, and, most importantly, taste and compare blended wines against varietals in the same price range. The piece ends with a compelling statistic from the 2024 “Wine Market Report” by Deloitte: “Blended wines now account for 45 % of the premium wine market, up from 32 % a decade ago.”

By reframing the conversation from “What grape is it?” to “How do these grapes work together?” the commentary encourages a deeper appreciation of what wine can be. As the industry adapts to climate realities, evolving consumer tastes, and new marketing frameworks, the old notion that the best wine is defined by a single grape variety may soon be a relic of the past.

References (links embedded in the original article):

1. American Wine Institute Memorandum – 1971 Varietal Labeling
2. Journal of Viticulture and Enology (2023) – Blending Studies
3. AVA Database – Varietal Composition by Region
4. University of California, Davis Climate‑Impact Report (2025)
5. James Halliday Interview – New York Times (2024)
6. Drizly AI Wine Recommendation Engine – 2025 Blog Post
7. Robert Parker Wine Guide – 2024 Edition Notes
8. Jancis Robinson & Michel Rostain Columns (2024)
9. FDA Wine Labeling Regulations Amendment (2014)
10. Napa Valley Vintners Association Statement (2025)
11. Deloitte Wine Market Report (2024) – Premium Segments

Note: All references were sourced directly from links provided within the original Baltimore Sun commentary.