| In old field-blend vineyards, there can be several different varieties in a single row of vines, planted in a mosaic-like pattern. The growers would often pick all of the grapes at the same time, even if they weren't equally ripe, and jumble them into the same vat to ferment together -- a technique called co-fermentation.
By contrast, most of today's blended wines are made by fermenting varieties separately so that they can later be "back blended" by the winemaker depending on how the different lots taste.
Initially co-fermentation may have been popular because it was easier and less expensive. It required less equipment, from big fermentation vats to barrels. Co-fermentation might seem old-fashioned, but some contemporary winemakers believe that combining different grapes during fermentation can produce wines that are better integrated, more seamless and perhaps more aromatic. Adding a little Viognier to co-ferment with Syrah, a technique from France's Cote-Rotie region, is increasingly popular in California for this reason.
Today co-fermented wines made from those old field-blend vineyards still produce some of California's most sought-after wines, including many of the coveted old-vine regions of Sonoma and Napa Valley. This technique often leads to rich wines of excellent value.
Please join us to enjoy Keith Lofton’s selections.
Please call 770-641-1900 to reserve. Special discounts will be available that day on the wines being tasted.
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Atlanta Wine-Field Blends - Red and White Wines 
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