If you made your own wine blend, what would you make?
Check out the classic white and red wine blends from around the world.
Creating the blend might just be the most creative part of being a winemaker. It’s the moment where you get a chance to exercise your skills at flavor balancing.
Famous White & Red Wine Blends
In fact, the process of blending goes beyond just putting grape varieties together. Many winemakers go through a rigorous barrel selection process to identify the best tasting wines. The top barrels go into a winery’s reserve bottlings, either reserved as a single variety or put together into a cuvée (French for ‘vat’).
Wine Blends
Bordeaux
A medium to full-bodied wine with notes of graphite, smoke, plum, black currant and tobacco.
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
- Petit Verdot
- Malbec
White Bordeaux
A zesty and lightly colored white wine with flavors of gooseberry and melon. A few examples are oak-aged and have a lightly creamy texture.
- Sémillon
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Muscadelle
Learn more about the Bordeaux Region, the origin place of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Bordeaux Wine Region
Champagne
A high acidity sparkling wine with notes of lemon, almond, honeycomb and apple.
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Meunier
- Pinot Noir
Learn more about Champagne Champagne Wine Region
Châteauneuf du Pape
A medium-bodied red wine with notes of maraschino cherry, raspberry, leather and faded rose.
- Grenache
- Syrah
- Mourvèdre
- Bourboulenc
- Cinsault
- Clairette Blanche
- Counoise
- Grenache Blanc
- Muscardin
- Picardan
- Piquepoul Blanc
- Roussanne
- Terret Noir
- Vaccarèse
Chianti
A medium-bodied wine with notes of black cherry, leather, tomato, and vanilla.
- Sangiovese 70-100%
- No more than 15% Cabernet Sauvignon & Cabernet Franc
- Up to 30% of Others
Super Tuscan
A full-bodied red wine with flavors of blueberry, clove and leather.
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Sangiovese
- Syrah
- Cabernet Franc
Learn more about Italy’s wine regions. Italian Wine Region Map
Amarone
A medium to full-bodied red wine with bold tannins and notes of fig, dried cranberry, clove, sweet tobacco and leather.
- Corvina
- Molinara
- Rondinella
- Other Indigenous Varieties
Soave
A medium-bodied white wine with notes of lemon, almond, and occasionally creaminess from oak-aging.
- Garganega — up to 70%
- Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc
Cava
A classic styled sparkling wine with notes of white peach, granite and lemon.
- Macabeu
- Parellada
- Xarello
- Chardonnay
Learn more about Cava, a delicious alternative to Champagne All about Cava.
Rioja
A medium to full-bodied red wine with bold tannins and flavors of black cherry, black plums, figs and leather.
- Tempranillo — up to 100%
- Mazuelo
- Graciano
- Maturana Tinta
Know the difference between Crianza and Reserva Rioja: How to Buy Rioja
Priorat
A medium to full-bodied red wine with notes of raspberry, blueberry brambles, pepper, violet and wet-granite.
- Grenache
- Syrah
- Carignan
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
Port
A full-bodied fortified wine with notes of blackberry, black currant, graphite, figs and raisins.
- Touriga Franca
- Touriga Nacional
- Tinta Roriz
- Tinta Barroca
- Tinto Cão
- Others
Portugal’s underrated region The Douro Valley
Meritage
A full-bodied red wine with notes of blueberry, plum, violets, pepper and vanilla.
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Petit Verdot
- Cabernet Franc
- Malbec
- Carménère
GSM ‘Rhône’ Blend
A medium to full-bodied red wine with notes of raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, bacon fat and allspice.
- Grenache
- Syrah
- Mourvèdre
- Others
White Rhône Blend
A full-bodied white wine with notes of cream, apple, lemon curd and parmesan cheese.
- Marsanne
- Roussanne
- Clairette
- Grenache Blanc
- Bourboulenc
- Viognier
Provençal Rosé
A dry rosé with nuanced flavors of strawberry, melon, lavender and orange.
- Cinsault
- Grenache
- Syrah
- Vermentino (a.k.a. Rolle)
Red Burgundy
A light-bodied red wine with notes of cherry, raspberry, peony, and clove.
- Pinot Noir — minimum of ~85%
- Gamay
- Pinot Gris
- Pinot Blanc
- Chardonnay
White Burgundy
A medium-bodied white wine with notes of lemon, apple, chalk and cream.
- Chardonnay
- Aligote
The secrets to Burgundy Simple Guide to Burgundy Wine
Prosecco
A delicately floral sparkling wine with notes of lilies and peaches.
- Prosecco (a.k.a. ‘Glera’)
Barolo
A medium-bodied wine with bold tannins and notes of cherries, leather, clove and anise.
- Nebbiolo
Barolo is a sub-region in Northwestern Italy Find out more about Piedmont