Mike Tommasi wrote:
> Mark Lipton wrote:
>> Steve Slatcher wrote:
>>> Mike Tommasi wrote:
>>
>>> More seriously, I am not sure I understnd your point about southern
>>> areas needing to blend varieties. Were you thinking specifically of
>>> Bordeaux? What examples do you have in mind?
>>>
>>
>> Well, the S Rhone Valley is replete with blends and most Italian reds
>> were historically blends (I think). The thinking is that, by blending,
>> one can make up for the deificiencies of one variety with another; why
>> that should be more prevalent in the southern areas has to do with the
>> reduced acidity found in hotter growing regions (maybe).
>
> Yes, exactly.
>
> In France Bordeaux, Provence, LAnguedoc, Rhone are all blends. Colder
> cimates like Burgundy, Loire, Alsace are single variety. Even Beaujolais.
>
> Same in Italy, Barolo is single variety, Chianti is becoming single
> variety but that may indeed be one of the great mistakes i nthe wine
> world, Chianti has always traditionally been blended. Look at Brunello,
> another single variety aberration - to the point that nearly all
> producers were recently caught blending: it's fraud, but in many ways it
> is understandable, Brunello needs IMHO some rounding off, which explains
> why it is so hard to find a TRULY remarkable Brunello :-)

I am not at all convinced. There are plenty of varietal wines in
Southern Italy. And in South West France south of Bordeaux. I would
explain it more by historical accident than design. The better wines
from New World areas (many of which tend to be warmer that cooler
climate Europe) are also likely to be mono-varietal.

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher