Chardonnay blend pairs with salads and sushi for about $10

All of the benefits of blending apply just as strongly to white wines as they do to reds, and white blends like this one can be delightful and delicious. Savvy shoppers can get great mileage for the dollar by browsing the white wine section for wines that are not labeled for a single grape simply because they haven’t yet caught on.

Red blends typically are made by using a single varietal as a “base” and using smaller proportions of other grapes to add to the base grape shortcoming.. Cabernet sauvignon, for instance, is often blended with fruitier grapes like merlot to make a softer, less astringent wine. If the base is lighter, vintners would add something stronger and richer. If the base wine is pale, they’ll add something darker, and so on.

In the realm of white blends, a similar approach is applied, just with fewer variables. This wine from Washington makes a perfect example. Chardonnay serves as the wine’s base, a grape whose wines offer exceptional richness of texture but whose clean apple-like flavor can come across as too bland or subtle when not enriched by fancy barrel-aging. Here, the winemaker has enhanced the chardonnay by blending in wines made from more aromatic grapes. Riesling and chenin blanc add lively acidity and a pleasing touch of sweetness, as refreshing as a cold pear on a hot day. Viognier and muscat add distinctive floral accents, like the heady scent of violets or honeysuckle. The result is an unoaked white that is delicious with everything from fruit salads to spicy tuna rolls, and greater than the sum of its parts.

$8.99 13% alcohol; PLCB Item #7790

Sale price through Aug. 30 — regularly $12.99

Also available at:

Total Wine & More in Claymont, Del. — $8.97

http://www.totalwine.com/

Canal’s Bottlestop in Marlton — $9.09

https://www.canalswine.com/

Gloucester City Bottlestop in Gloucester City — $9.09

https://www.bottlestopnj.com/