Blending vs. Co-fermentation

---

 

There are two specific winemaking blending techniques that Ryan Carr uses when making our delicious wine.  The most common is the blending technique which is used to create some of our wine on tap.  First, each varietal is fermented and barrel aged separately.  Then before bottling, we create several different “test” blends to see what percentages will be used of each wine.  This is the easiest technique since you can create each varietal separately.  Picking them at different times, fermenting them using different yeasts, and you can adjust the wine percentages at the end having complete control over the entire process.

CrossHatch is a newer brand by Carr Winery and consists of co-fermented blends.   This technique is trickier and is not as commonly used.  We bring the fruit in to the Winery on the same day, and the blends are created right then and there.  We add all the different varietals in the blend together to be fermented and then barrel aged together.  This is harder for several reasons.  One, different varietals require different practices during fermentation and two, it is harder to make any changes during the process.  Why would anyone use this technique?  We think the risks are well worth the rewards.  Think for a minute about making a stew.  When you blend different elements and let them cook together for long periods of time you get flavors that would never exist otherwise.  The same goes for wine.  By combining the grapes from the beginning we are in a way creating a new flavor in our wine that could not exist by blending the two wines together.