Is Mixing Red And White Wine Bad?

If you’ve ever enjoyed a refreshing glass of white wine and pondered what it might taste like with a deeper grape varietal behind it, you might be interested in the practice of mixing red and white wine. Commonly deemed just shy of wine blasphemy, mixing red and white wine is taboo among the wine-lover community, but it can produce some impressive wines that taste delicious!

We’ve created this in-depth guide to help you decide whether missing red and white wine is bad. We’ll be answering the burning question of whether you can mix red and white wine, whether it produces rose wine, what it tastes like and some of the best tips for creating a red and white wine concoction.

Can You Mix Red and White Wine?

Let’s definitively answer the question, ‘can you mix red and white wine?’ once and for all. Yes, you can easily blend your red and white wine and create a delicious wine with complex aromatic compounds with depth and delicious tastes.

However, it’s integral to note that mixing red and white wine will greatly impact your wine’s flavour profile. This is why many wine enthusiasts advise against mixing red and white wines in favour of preserving the base wine’s original integrity.

Additionally, many white and red wines aren’t necessarily the best partner wines. Because of differences in concentration of tannins, finding the perfect blend of white and red wines that complement each other and bring out their flavour notes can be difficult.

For example, if you have a pinot noir with extremely dominant tasting notes, finding a white wine that isn’t overshadowed by this dryer varietal might be difficult.

Does a Red and White Wine Blend Create Rosé Wine?

Many tend to think that creating rosé wine is just as simple as blending a sweeter white wine like pinot gris or riesling with a sweet red wine like shiraz or lambrusco, but the truth is, the wine creation process for rosé wine is entirely different. Rosé wine is made using soaked grape skins, allowing them to sit in the wine before removing them for fermentation.

The colour of rosé wine is determined by how long the skins are allowed to soak in the wine before removal. That means you won’t be able to create a delicious and refreshing rosé wine just by mixing a bottle of red and white wine.

While the colours may result in similar tones, the tasting note of the blend is largely different. Rosé wines tend to lack the complexity of flavour and aromatic notes blended wine offers, so don’t try a rosé experiment of your own if you have a leftover red and white bottle.

What Does Blended Wine Taste Like?

Both white and red wines can consist of very complicated flavours, meaning it’s tough to imagine how they would behave together, and the truth is, there’s no one answer.

The type of wine you use to create your red and white concoction will significantly impact the flavour. For example, pairing a very dry white such as a chablis with a dry bottle of merlot will produce staggeringly different flavours to a blend of sherry and sauvignon blanc.

However, all white and red blends tend to produce very deep notes with multiple layers, offering a more exciting experience than a lone grape varietal. The best blends of red and white wines tend to come from a contrast of very acidic whites, such as chardonnay, with sweeter, full-bodied reds like malbec.

The acidity in the chardonnay will cut through the bold and tannin-heavy structure of the red wine, creating a stunning blend of complementary and multi-layered flavours.

The Best Tips for Mixing Your Favourite Red and White Wines

At Wine Online, we encourage you to explore your creative wine tendencies, so if you’re planning to mix some of your leftover bottles of red and white wine, here are some of the best tops to consider:

1. Choose Good Base Wines

Before you get started, make sure you settle on complementary base wines. While experimenting with contrasting wines can be beneficial for finding your blending feet, you’re more likely to create a blend you’ll drink and enjoy if you choose base wines with complimentary acidity levels.

Assess the acidity levels of the wine and choose a red and a white similar on the scale. If you don’t do this, you might create a very unbalanced wine that lacks depth or offers an unpleasant drinking experience.

2. Begin With Small Amounts

It’s important not to just throw together two bottles of red and white wine, hoping for the best. Instead, begin with small amounts, using a 50/50 blend as a maximum. Building to this level will help you taste and choose a blend that fits your red-and-white wine vision.

Starting with small amounts offers you greater room for adjustment. Remember, drawing back the taste is always harder, so always build up to a stronger taste to avoid a sour surprise.

3. Think About Your Food Pairing

Although you can always enjoy your red and white blend by itself, always keep your food pairing in the back of your mind. Just because white wine typically compliments fish and vegetable-based dishes, and red wine pairs beautifully with red meat dishes doesn’t mean your unique blend will automatically pair with your favourite dishes.

Consider your acidity levels and which dishes go well with your blend. For example, if you have a very heavy, rich red meat dish, a high acidity red and white blend may be ideal for cutting through the fat and bringing out the subtle flavours of the meat.

4. Experiment

One of the best things you can do when mixing red and white wine is experimenting as much as possible! When you’re mixing, take some notes of which red and white ratios are the most effective. This will help you build up your very own recipe book and help you create unique concoctions in the future.

Find Your Red and White Wine Blending Bases at Wine Online

If you want to conduct a lab experiment from the comfort of your kitchen and mix some red and white wine varietals to create your unique blend, shop online at Wine Online today. We have an extensive collection of red and white wines perfect for your mixing experiments, with bottles under $25 that are great for trial and error.

No matter your tasting note preferences or ideal acidity levels, we have the perfect red and white wine bottles just waiting for you to blend today. Say no to tradition and hello to adventure, and blend your perfect bottle of red and white wine today with the help of Wine Online.