Humans are exploratory in nature. In this case, most of us would want to know what happens when you mix red and white wine regarding taste/ flavor, longevity, smell, color, and palatability. Some people are red wine lovers, others white. So, can you mix red and white wine?
You can mix red and white wine since from scientific evidence there are no substances that interact negatively in the two types of alcoholic drinks. Therefore, you can mix red and white wine to create new tastes for your wine drinkers. However, mixing in some cases does not produce a great-tasting wine hybrid for example you can get a revolting taste if you mix sweet with dry wine.
Mixing red and white wine helps to create some variations of rosès – different cocktails. Moreover, some great mixologists create great hybrid tastes by mixing red and white wine or blending different types of grapes into your wine.
The mixing of red and white wine, for example in champagne to create sparkling rosès will give you control over the color of the rosès, the consistency, and the polyphenolic balance of the final sparkling rosè product.
This post covers everything you need to know about mixing red and white wine – including pro tips from world-renowned sommeliers.
Can you mix red and white wine?
You can mix red and white wine since from scientific evidence there are no substances that interact negatively in the two types of alcoholic drinks. Therefore, you can mix red and white wine to create new tastes for your wine drinkers. However, mixing in some cases does not produce a great-tasting wine hybrid for example you can get a revolting taste if you mix sweet with dry wine.
Yes, you can mix red and white wines together to create interesting blends and unusual pairings. While the two types of wines are made from different grapes, there are no substances that interact negatively in the two types of drinks.
Therefore, you can mix red and white wines to create new tastes for your wine drinkers. When you want to make a new blend of red and white wines, you will want to start with a good base of wine.
Moreover, some world-renowned sommeliers have been praised for creating exceptional blends that give you an upturn in quality- aroma, taste, and even color of the mixes. Therefore, you can mix red and white wine in the same glass without any medical or social consequences.
What Happens If You Mix Red And White Wine?
Mixing red and white wine requires some finesse. Therefore, without the right knowledge, you can lower the wine quality markedly when you mix them. Therefore, we recommend starting the mixing with smaller quantities and tasting it rather than mixing a whole bottle and ruining the quality.
Mixing red and white wine also called blending, is not done to create rose wine. However, the blend has a rosy color with a distinct taste and aroma. The taste and aroma of the mix may be poor if you are not a qualified/ trained wine-maker.
Red and white wines have different amounts of tannins; red wine has higher amounts of tannins. Tannins are what give red wines their robust taste and dryness.
When you mix red wine with white wine, the red wine’s tannins are more present than the white wine’s tannins. This means you have a dry wine that tastes overly dry.
When you mix red and white wines, they will instantly mix in your mouth and create one new drink. In extreme cases, this can make the wine taste overly dry and tannin-heavy.
You can fix this by adding a sweetener to the drink, but this is not ideal for enjoying the taste of wine. The sweetener can be sugar or glucose syrup but some people use fruit juice to make the mix taste better.
Is It Bad To Mix Red And White Wine?
You can mix red and white wines together to create interesting blends and unusual pairings. There is no rule that says you can’t mix two different types of wine together. You can even mix two different types of alcoholic drinks together to make a unique and interesting drink.
Moreover, there is no scientific evidence barring the mixing of red and white wine. However, if you are not a trained wine-maker, you may produce a poor-tasting wine blend.
The mixing of red and wine white in the same glass is a cultural and social taboo whose merit has never been medically or scientifically proven. Furthermore, some of the best wine-makers are able to blend different types of wines or mix different types of grapes during the fermentation period.
The other taboo has been that you should not drink white wine after drinking red. However, this is also a myth that has also been debunked. Taking red wine followed by white wine on the same night/ day does not ruin your day.
TIP: To learn more on Watering Down Wine check out this article that we have published. It will give you the pros and cons of mixing wine with water focusing on taste, aroma, structure, and wine quality.
How to Mix Red and White Wine
The best way to start mixing red and white wines together is to pick a blending partner wine. The blending partner wine you choose will determine the flavor of the finished product.
- To start, pour a glass of red wine and a glass of white wine.
- Take a sip of each one and jot down a few notes. Take note of which wine you like more and which one you think would go well with the other.
- Next, pour equal parts of each wine in a new glass. Take a sip and think about how the two flavors work together. If you like the taste, then you have successfully mixed red and white wines together.
- Journal the process by writing down what wine you put in what amount and how much you used. If you do it right, the process will be second nature for you the next time you want to blend red and white wines together.
Mixing Red and White Wine For Cooking
You can mix red and white wines for cooking by following the same steps as mixing them for drinking. If you are mixing red and white wines in a sauce or for something more complex, you will want to use the blending partner wine rule again.
If you want to make a white wine sauce with red wine, you will want to start with a good base of white wine.
To note is that the same type of wine you enjoy taking will make a great taste when included in the food. However, you should use the wine quickly after opening since it oxidizes quickly and most foods will not taste great when cooked with flat wine.
Therefore, you need to either consume it quickly or refrigerate wine after opening it to preserve it for some time. Still, even refrigerated wine needs to be used within 5 to 7 days for cooking.
Tips to Mix Red and White Wine Together
There are several tips that come with mixing red and white wine together. The rules emanate from trying to ensure that you maintain the taste and quality of wine even after mixing. Therefore, to ensure you do not spoil the taste and quality of your wine hybrid, here are the top tips for mixing them:
- We do not recommend mixing everything at once: You may markedly lower the quality of your wine if you mix all your wine together at once. This means that you should try mixing a small part of wine with another and checking the taste rather than mixing all the wine and rendering it unpalatable. This is because mixing the wines requires some finesse and thus if you are not a professional, try bit by bit.
- Do your research on the wines you want to mix: Before mixing any wines, it is important to be informed on how the wine is made, to be consumed, and its content. You can also swirl a mouthful of each wine type in your mouth to explore the taste and aroma of the wine. This enables you to know if the two wines will go well together.
- Have a good and stable base of wine: To make a good blend of different wines, it is important to have a stable and high-quality base wine. This ensures that you get a great-tasting wine mix since the starting profile is excellent. Once you know a good base, you can maintain it even for your future mixes.
- Select a high-quality counterpart wine: Once you have a great base wine, you should ensure that you get a companion wine that will go well with the base. This means that you can get a dry wine of the base wine is sticky and thick. Moreover, several people mix old wines with relatively newer wines to make a subtle taste. Finally, it is important to note that most native wines when mixed produce an excellent taste and aroma profile.
- Journal the process: The journey as well as the final product needs to be enjoyed. You may have come up with the 8th wonder of the world. If you make a poor wine mix or a great wine mix, it is important to journal the process. The journal can help you and others either to produce the best-tasting wine mix or not fall into the same challenges that you met as you prepare your wine mix. Moreover, journaling the process enables you to replicate the same wine mixing procedure even long into the future. You can journal it in a video and even share it on a podcast/ youtube or just jot down the words on the process.
How to mix wines to make Sangria
Ingredients
- A large jug- Depending on the amount of Sangria you want to make. It should be able to hold more than two bottles of wine
- Ice either as blocks or crushed
- Blended bottle of white wine
- Blended bottle of red wine
- Glucose syrup or half a cup of sugar
- Sparkling water or Seltzer
- Either slices of orange or lemon, Cranberry, peaches, or other berry fruit juice such as cherries, or strawberries
- Fruit and fresh mint for garnishing
Sangria Making Steps
- The first step is to fill the container 1/3rd of the way with ice
- Thereafter, add the red wine to the container- You can use a full bottle if it’s possible to consume it all at once.
- Then, add the white wine to the base containing ice and red wine. Here, make sure you add a similar quantity of the white wine as the red wine- therefore you can add a bottle too
- Add glucose syrup to the mixture and stir. Some people opt for sugar where half a cup should be used if you used full bottles of red and white wine.
- Once the syrup/ sugar has dissolved, blend the combination for a few minutes, and then add sparkling water or Selzer. This creates a carbonated Sangria.
- You can change the taste and aroma by adding fruit juice. Thereafter, stir well to mix them.
- Taste the carbonated Sangria for sweetness and carbonation.
- You can add more sugar or fruit juice to adjust the taste if required.
- Finally, decorate with fruit and mint.
- Enjoy your carbonated Sangria!
Reasons not to Mix Red and White Wine
There are several myths concerning mixing red wine and white wine or drinking one after the other. One of them indicates that the lighter-bodied white wines are less heavy on the body which means they should be taken before the red wines which is a myth.
However, mixing red and white wine might lower the wine quality. This is because there are several quality raters in wines and thus mixing some can lower the quality of your wine. The quality may emanate from the type of wines you mix, what you mix the wines in, and the amounts of wines mixed.
The other reason for not mixing red and white wine may be a change in taste. Some people just love one taste of wine and the change may not be palatable. Moreover, you may get a revolting taste if you mix sweet and dry wine.
The other common reason why people do not mix wines is the hangover effects associated with mixing different drinks. There is no theory that backs it up but most people claim to have a worse hangover when they drink mixed drinks.
Therefore, if not mixing, then you can drink white wine after drinking red since the myth is not true.
The Difference Between Red and White Wine
Red wine is made from the stalks and juice of the grape, while white wine is made from the juice of the grape only. You may get a difference in the alcohol content of white wine compared to red wine.
Red wines are fermented at a higher temperature, usually, around 68-86°F (20-30°C), while white wines are fermented at a cooler temperature of around mostly between 12 ℃(53.6 ℉) and 22 ℃(71.6 ℉) because they have less tannins.
The flavor profile of red wines is more robust than white wines. The flavor of red wines is described as being more full-bodied, having a layered taste with dark fruit, smoke, tobacco, and a slight bit of pepper.
There is a very slight bitterness to red wines. White wines, on the other hand, are described as having a fresh flavor with less body. The taste of white wines is described as being brisk with more citrus flavors such as lemon and lime.
Conclusion
You can mix red and white wine since there is no scientific evidence barring you from mixing them and also because there are no substances in the two types of wine that interact to create anything poisonous. However, mixing them may not always give you the best-tasting combination for example a revolting taste if you mix sweet with dry wine.
When you mix red and white wines, you get interesting flavors and colors that you can’t get with either wine on its own.
You can also take advantage of the different flavor profiles of each one to create a balanced, blended drink that has all the best bits of both wines. So, don’t be afraid to mix up your favorite drinks with different wines. You never know what new and exciting flavor combinations you might discover!
Sources:
https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/myth-busted-can-drink-white-wine-red/
