Top 5 Field Blends

Field Blends - P&V Wine & Liquor MerchantsHave you seen the term ‘field blend’ on a wine label? If not, keep an eye out and you will – but what does it mean? Much of Australian winemaking is focused on single varietals, such as riesling or pinot noir, along with a few classic blends like the Bordeaux-style semillon sauvignon blancs of Margaret River. Traditional European vineyards however were commonly planted with a wild mixture of grape varieties, often both white and red, growing side by side. Initially for convenience, these were all harvested at the same time, thrown into the same vat and fermented together … this is a true field blend. Mixing white and red grapes in the one wine may seem a little weird, until you think of the common practice of adding a dash of white viognier to red shiraz. This originated because shiraz and viognier growing (and fermented) together in Rhône vineyards, produced a more perfumed wine than shiraz alone. Today’s shiraz viogniers are rarely true field blends, though many are good wines nonetheless; Blind Corner Field Blend from Margaret River is a delicious exception, with viognier and shiraz from the same field fermented together. Today innovative Aussie winemakers are reintroducing co-fermented field blends to create distinctive, unique wines; here are five more you should try.


Grey Sands Byzantine Tasmania
www.greysands.com.au
Field blends often contain less common grape varieties rarely seen as single varietals. Bob and Rita Richter ferment 10% malvasia bianca and 10% viognier with their chardonnay to create this wine named for Greek malvasia, which was spread throughout the Mediterranean by the Byzantine Empire.


Brash Higgins R/SM McLaren Vale, SA
www.brashhiggins.com
This is the first time I’ve tasted riesling and semillon in the same wine – and it works for me! Grown together in a small patch on the cool Kangarilla foothills, these two varietals were basket-pressed and wild fermented together to produce this bright, minerally, limey drop.


Konpira Maru MK Field Blend Rosé King Valley, Vic
www.konpiramaru.com.au
From one of Victoria’s highest vineyards, originally planted as an experimental patch by Brown Brothers, comes this mouth-filling blend of 45% pinot gris and 40% chardonnay with a 15% dash of pinot noir for colour and depth, picked and fermented together then aged in old oak.


For The Dandy In The Clos Hilltops Hill of Graciano et al Hilltops, NSW
www.sparrowandvine.com.au
Red graciano, rondinella and corvina, and white hárslevelu, viognier, marsanne and roussanne, from Freeman Vineyards, were co-fermented on skins in inner Sydney to produce this fruity, perfumed wine in memory of natural wine champion, Sam Hughes. Proceeds go to his daughters’ education trust.


Gentle Folk Vin de Sofa Adelaide Hills, SA
www.gentlefolk.com.au
This light, Beaujolais-style co-ferment of red pinot noir and cabernet franc, with a generous splash of white gewürztraminer, comes from a vineyard high in the Adelaide Hills. The name, a play on the French ‘vin de soif’ (wine for thirst), suggests its quaffable nature.


You won’t find these wines at your suburban big chain bottlo … but they are worth seeking out either online or at an independent bottle shop.

Share page on:

Join Me Soon

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken – once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better ordering this than going out to restaurants as the recipes and food quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Read More
I loved the Fresh & Easy Chicken – simple instructions, only a few ingredients and the time factor absolutely spot on. Then came the highlight, the taste, no compromise on the enjoyment of that meal! For the time poor Fresh & Easy hits the mark indeed.
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce ... I’ve so enjoyed picking fresh leaves from the herb pots and loved listening to the chef's playlist while cooking. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving these boxes! There are Ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Read More
Loving Be Inspired! Felt like a kid opening up a Christmas present when the box arrived. Fresh herb pots are a nice touch!
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Read More
Thanks so much for the Fresh & Easy Meal, it was excellent. We regularly get another meal kit delivery – your offering is vastly superior and a similar price, so big ticks.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from the Recipes+Videos Packs. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)