Do you know the difference between a varietal wine and a blend?

Perhaps many of you are already related to these terms, as well as that of Coupage or monovarietal wines, but do you know well their differences and the reasons that can lead a winemaker to opt for one option or another?

From Bodegas Luzón we want to approach the world of wine entertainingly and enjoyably so that the only thing that stands between you and the wine is a glass, and not a far-fetched language, through a series of articles that we will add to our blog so you can learn more about wines…

Varietal Wines

So let’s start with the easiest thing: varietal wines. These wines, generally made with a single 100% vine, seek to convey the identity of a specific variety clearly, although their production process may include elements of aging in wood or not, depending on the intention of the winemaker at the time. to create the wine, and if you are looking for a greater or lesser presence of certain elements that provide both the variety itself, and the contact of the wine with the wood …

An example of a single varietal wine would be our Altos de Luzón. A 100% Monastrell wine that in this case also has 12 months of aging in French and American oak barrels.

That bottle labeled Monastrell must have the typical color, aromas, and flavors of Monastrell, in our case, Monastrell de Jumilla.

In the case of our Altos de Luzón, we also went from a “blend” wine, with a Coupage made up of different varieties in its 2015 vintage, to a monovarietal wine in the 2017 vintage, using only our Monastrell to offer A paradigmatic wine of our Tierra, from Jumilla, and motivated by representing a wine that, in its essence, was representative of an excellent and very characteristic grape variety such as the Monastrell de Jumilla.

Blend wines or wines with Coupage

So, blends or cut wines? … Well yes, as you may have already imagined, they are wines in which different varieties of grapes are used for their production. They are wines whose production always involves more than one variety, without any limit.

The combination will be given by the quantity and varieties that the winemaker believes prudent to specify the wine. These are wines that do not seek the leadership of one strain over the others, but rather all contribute their identity to achieve a specific result. An example of a blend is our “Por tí” which is made up of 80% Monastrell and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

In this case, it was precisely the combination of two varieties whose combination is always a success, since the Monastrell brings power, while the Cabernet Sauvignon softens it and somehow “tames” it, achieving a more accessible wine without losing its identity. of our star variety and that, in the specific case of “Por tí”, also adds 18 months in French and American oak barrels to obtain a wine that is one of the favorites of the followers of our winery.

Of course, neither is better than the other. It’s just about tasting, learning, and continuing tasting, and of course, continuing to fall in love with our wines.