Classic wine blends

When Americans think about wines, they tend to think about single-grape varieties, said Ray Isle in Food & Wine. But a huge share of the world’s wines are blends. “When you drink a Côtes du Rhône, or a red Bordeaux, it’s a blend.” U.S. law requires only that 75 percent of a wine come from the grape variety on the label, and that’s not a bad thing. Blending produces great wines, like the classics below.

2007 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico ($25). Chiantis are sangiovese-based. This “herbal” wine blends in cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

2005 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva ($26). Three “signature” grapes of Spain’s Rioja region combine in this “vanilla- and cherry-scented red.”

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NV Gosset Champagne Brut Excellence ($45). This is “nonvintage” champagne: It blends multiple vintages of such approved champagne grapes as pinot noir and chardonnay.