To achieve the perfect balance between aromas, sugar levels, and even acidity, the blending of rosé wine is essential. This perfected technique is the result of particular attention at Château de Berne, where oenologists have become, over time, true experts in blending Provence rosés .
The art of blending: creating an exceptional rosé
The delicious rosés that you like to sip by the pool, as an aperitif, or with good barbecued meat are not the result of chance. The winegrowers have mastered the art of blending to create exceptional rosés.
Rosé wine is a masterpiece resulting from the subtle blend of the best grapes, from old vineyards on the best terroirs. Through meticulous production methods, each prestige vintage reveals a unique combination of structure and gourmet aromas. Notes of delicate citrus and fruit blend harmoniously with nuances of vine peach, creating a captivating sensory palette. These blended rosés, with light notes and the desired pink color, are real favorites for wine lovers, revealing all the complexity and elegance of their production process.
Definition of wine blending
In the world of wine, blending consists of bringing together two wines of the same vintage in a single vat. The grape variety is then different, and the grapes do not come from the same plots of a vineyard. The objective is to combine the characteristics of each vat to find a perfect balance and to combine their respective qualities to produce a good wine. The blending is also interesting to succeed in maintaining a certain consistency in the quality of the wines from one year to the next.
The role of the winemaker is to find complementary wines that will make a good marriage, but also the right dosages.
The vintages are then placed in separate vats for the duration of alcoholic fermentation, and only afterwards are they brought together.
A separate case: the blending of champagnes is different from still wines, because champagne is the only wine that can blend vintages from different vintages.
The assembly seen by the experts at Château de Berne
The wine region of Provence has the advantage of benefiting from a varied terroir, with two very distinct geological groups. Each of them has unique qualities, which it is pleasant to be able to associate with the qualities of the other. This is how the Château de Berne oenologist works on the art of blending, to guarantee the production of wine with incomparable typicity . Along with the winemaker, he selects the plots to be blended, defines the maceration duration and selects the type of vat, to produce a gastronomic rosé wine.
Rosé wine is the subtle expression of a balance between liveliness and structure, drawing from prestigious terroirs to offer a palette of gourmet aromas. Each vintage, the result of careful vinification in vats, reveals elegant freshness and a beautiful structure, thanks to careful production methods. The blend, grape variety by grape variety, of the best black grapes and grape juice, gives rise to exceptional rosés, with delicate notes of citrus, fruit and flowers. Resulting from the method of our experts at the château, these blended rosés reveal a salmon color and characteristic aromas, real favorites of wine lovers.
The precise selection of grape varieties for blending
The whole art of blending lies largely in the choice of grape varieties to blend . For rosé wine, winegrowers have the choice between several black grape varieties, and a few white grape varieties, always in the minority, or even absent.
The grape variety will determine the intensity of the color of the rosé, but also its aromas and its qualities in the mouth. To obtain a pretty pink color, 4 main grape varieties of red grapes are chosen to make rosé:
- Grenache noir, with fruity and powerful aromas;
- Cinsault, with floral and aromatic notes;
- Pinot noir, with aromas of delicate red fruits;
- Sangiovese, with spicy notes.
At the Berne estate, winegrowers choose to grow other black grapes to vinify rosé wine:
- Merlot, with fruity and fresh notes;
- Syrah, with powerful aromas of small black and red fruits;
- Carignan, with notes of lighter red and black fruits;
- Cabernet Sauvignon, with fresh notes of green pepper.
As for white grapes , Château de Berne produces blended wine with vermentino, an elegant and pale grape variety, appreciated for its freshness.
The rosé wine blending process
To produce blended rosé wine , the winemaker follows the same steps as for a single-varietal wine. However, the blending takes place at a crucial moment in the winemaking process.
The grape harvest
As with all wines, it all starts with the harvest. The winegrower must then be vigilant, in order to ensure that he defines the best time to harvest the bunches of grapes . The objective is then to wait until the grapes are at perfect maturity, so that they have the best impact on the profile of the wine.
Then, the harvest must be meticulous, with manual or mechanical harvesting, day or night.
Separate winemaking
Once arriving in the cellar, the grapes of each grape variety are vinified separately , so that each preserves its unique qualities. It is only after alcoholic fermentation, skin maceration and malolactic fermentation that the two vintages are assembled, for the final stage: aging.
Tasting and adjustments
Before bottling, the tasting stage is essential. It is at this precise moment that the winemaker will be able to make the final modifications , in order to obtain a perfect rosé wine.
The crucial role of the oenologist in the blending of rosé wines
The oenologist is involved throughout the wine-making process and ensures that he provides the best advice to winegrowers and winegrowers. He is then in charge of defining the harvest date, but also of choosing the grape varieties and treatments, or of controlling each stage of vinification and the maceration time. At the Berne estate, the meticulous work of oenologist Alexis Cornu makes it possible to obtain blended rosés of high quality .
Thus, the Grande Cuvée of Château de Berne , AOP Côtes de Provence, is a tasty blend of Syrah, Cinsault and Grenache Noir. It offers delicious, intense fruit aromas and a lovely freshness on the palate.
The Impatience vintage , in AOC Côtes de Provence, also reflects the prestigious work of the oenologist. The blend of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Syrah and Carignan is so precise that we enjoy a round organic wine with notes of exotic fruits.
Finally, the Grande Récolte cuvée from the Domaine de Berne, still in AOP Côtes de Provence, is a blend of the same grape varieties as the Impatience cuvée, but with different dosages. We then understand the finesse of the work of the professional, who obtains, with the same grape varieties and a different proportion of wine, a more lively and expressive rosé wine.
Are you curious about the art of assembly and would you like to learn more? Come and discover all the know-how of the Berne oenologist by participating in a blended wine tasting workshop in our Provence cellar.
