In a bold move that challenges traditional winemaking conventions, a new trend of two-continent wine blends is captivating the wine industry. This innovative approach involves combining wines from different continents, resulting in a product that is as controversial as it is intriguing. Peter Richards, a Master of Wine, remains skeptical about the concept, while wine writer Jamie Goode finds it an exciting prospect. The wines are crafted by blending Australian red and white wine components with selections from France's northern Rhone and Roussillon regions. This unique blend, however, faces legal restrictions in the European Union but finds acceptance in markets such as the UK, US, and Australia.
The French wine industry's steadfast belief in the concept of "terroir," which emphasizes the environmental factors influencing vineyard growth, finds itself at odds with these cross-continental creations. Penfolds, a prominent player in this arena, refers to their blends as "wines of the world," asserting that they "possess an otherness that can best be described as worldly." Meanwhile, French winemaker Maxime Chapoutier has developed two such wines—Hemispheres Red and Hemispheres White—in collaboration with The Wine Society, as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations.
Under both French and EU regulations, creating wines that mix EU and non-EU fruit is prohibited. Despite this, the pragmatic approach of shipping bulk wine from Australia to the UK is considered more environmentally friendly than transporting individual bottles. Jas Swan, an independent winemaker from Germany, expresses concern that this blending trend could lead to an influx of low-quality wines. However, Chapoutier and Penfolds assure that their blends are crafted with quality grapes and priced accordingly.
The Hemispheres Red wine features syrah grapes, while Hemispheres White is a blend of marsanne and viognier varieties. Unfortunately for local enthusiasts, these two-continent blends remain illegal in France due to their fusion of French and Australian base wines.
The wine community offers varied perspectives on this innovative trend. Peter Richards acknowledges the notion of cross-country blending but remains unconvinced about its potential to produce great-tasting wines.
"The notion of cross-country blending for wine isn't something I find outrageous in itself," said Peter Richards.
Susie Barrie shares similar reservations about the quality of such wines:
"I remain to be convinced that a wine made by blending grapes from different countries can be great in terms of taste." – Susie Barrie
On the other hand, Jamie Goode views it as an interesting concept if done with quality ingredients.
"If the wines are good, and made well from good vineyard sites – and not simply a gimmick blending together cheap bulk wines and then slapping a huge margin on the wine – then this is quite interesting."
Goode adds insight into the foundational principles of fine wine:
"The fundamental basis for fine wine is the notion of terroir – that wines come from a place, and their flavour expresses this place in unique ways. But not all wines have to be terroir wines, and there's room for wines like this."
He further notes:
"In some ways, there's a lot of skill required to blend the right wines together to create something interesting coming from such different places."
Maxime Chapoutier anticipates mixed reactions, particularly from traditionalists in France:
"There would likely be outrage about these wines in France, and that would be a good thing," he remarks.
Chapoutier believes that provocation can lead to progress:
"Sometimes you need to be provocative to drive change."
Pierre Mansour of The Wine Society highlights the forward-thinking aspect of these blends:
"We were thinking about the future of wine, and we wanted to do something innovative. In the end we thought that one area of innovation is blending, of creating a wine that can mitigate for the impact of climate change on a particular country."