Wine, etc.: It’s time to stop thinking of the best wine as a single grape variety

We admire winemakers who can perfectly balance different grapes into a remarkable blend. Although French vintners have blended varieties for centuries, the practice didn’t take hold in the United States until the 1970s.

California producers began copying the European model only after Tenuta San Guido introduced its “Super-Tuscans” in 1968, inspiring a wave of Cal-Ital blends through the ’70s and ’80s.

In Bordeaux, grape mixing dates to 43 AD, when vines were first planted. What started as simple field blends has evolved into precision assemblies of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec — each chosen for its fit with specific soils and microclimates.

The Napa Valley felt a seismic shift in 1974, when Joseph Phelps added merlot to its cabernet sauvignon and n