Province: Napa’s Original Red and White Blend Was Blouge Before Blouge Had a Name
Blouge, a chilled wine made from both red and white grapes, is the wine trend of 2026. In July, the San Francisco Chronicle called it California’s next big wine craze. It also pointed out that one Napa Valley winery has been making a red and white blend for nearly four decades: PEJU, with Province.
Tony Peju created Province in 1987. Today it is PEJU’s best-selling wine, and the rest of the wine world is finally catching up.
What is blouge?
Blouge joins two French words, blanc (white) and rouge (red). It describes wine made from red and white grapes together, either fermented as one or blended after each wine is made on its own. The style is meant to be served cold.
Blouges range in color from ruby to copper. They tend to be juicy, fresh and easy to drink, and most sell for under $40. The term took hold in Bordeaux, but there are no formal rules for making one. Cornell University links its rise to the popularity of light, “crushable” reds and to growers adapting to a changing climate.
Most California blouges are brand new. Province has 39 years of practice.
A bridge wine, born at a kitchen table
Tony Peju had a simple goal: make a wine for people who wanted to drink red but had not yet acquired the taste. He called it his “bridge wine” and worked out the blend at his kitchen table.
The first version used grapes from the family’s HB Vineyard in Rutherford: Cabernet Sauvignon and French Colombard. Chardonnay joined later, and when PEJU acquired Persephone Ranch, the white became Sauvignon Blanc.
The method has stayed the same. Red wine is aged in oak, then blended with white wine from the current year’s harvest. Because each bottling marries wines from more than one year, Province carries no vintage date. HB Peju sums it up as “the wine for all foods and for all moods.”
Province started with a hunch. When Tony Peju first made the wine, he felt it was meant to be.
A few years later, it found its audience: the Berkeley restaurants riding the organic food wave that Alice Waters set in motion. HB dressed the wine for that crowd with a natural, unfussy label inspired by a brown paper newspaper bag.
The wine fit the mood. It tasted like the easygoing wines of southern France, the kind poured in every neighborhood bistro, made for long lunches rather than the cellar. That spirit still shapes how we pour it today: a red and white blend, best served chilled.
The look has changed over the years, most recently in 2026, when our team gave Province a crisp new white label. Its unicorn comes from the weathervane atop the PEJU tower, a landmark for anyone who has driven Highway 29 through Rutherford.
Red and white together: rebellious, with precedent
Blending red and white grapes sounds like a rule breaker, but it has deep Old World roots. In France’s Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie allows up to 20% white Viognier to be fermented with its red Syrah. Classic Chianti once included the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia to soften Sangiovese.
The twist is rosé. In Europe, rosé generally cannot be made by mixing red and white wine. In 2009 the EU proposed allowing it, then dropped the plan after producers objected. Champagne is the notable exception. So the region that inspired the Province name, Provence, France’s oldest wine region and the world’s best-known home of rosé, does not make a wine quite like it.
Why Province fits the way people drink now
For years, a red you put in the refrigerator was easy for wine insiders to dismiss. Consumers never cared. Now the trends have caught up with them.
- Chilled reds are mainstream. Online searches for “chilled reds” surged between February and June 2026, and Bordeaux is reviving the word “claret” for a new chillable red. Many Bay Area restaurants and bars told the Chronicle that chilled reds are the best-selling category on their lists.
- People drink by occasion. IWSR research shows wine drinkers now mix lighter and full-strength choices depending on the moment, led by Millennials with Gen Z growing fast.
- Approachable beats intimidating. New drinkers want flavor first and rules second. Province was built for exactly that drinker in 1987.
- Experiments are everywhere, consistency is rare. Many new blouges are one-off experiments. Province has been tried & true since the late 80s.
What Province tastes like
A little sweet, totally fresh, and dangerously easy to drink. Tart strawberry-rhubarb pie, hibiscus, and fresh raspberry meet a zesty key lime finish. Pour it on the porch, pack it for a picnic, or bring it to brunch. Province is your 5 o’clock wine. Serve it at 44 to 55°F. If the bottle lives in the refrigerator, pull it out right before pouring.
Province at the holiday table
Holiday menus are a pairing puzzle: turkey and ham, sweet and savory sides, a guest who only drinks white and another who only drinks red. Province solves it in one bottle.
- Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce. The wine’s own cranberry and cherry notes echo the plate.
- Glazed ham and roast pork. Fruit and acidity stand up to sweet and salty glazes.
- Charcuterie and cheese boards. Chilled and fresh, it works from first nibble to last.
- Spicy dishes and holiday takeout nights. Served cold, it cools heat the way a heavy red cannot.
Give the wine with the story
Province makes an easy gift because it comes with a conversation starter: four names, a unicorn and a 39-year head start on the hottest trend in wine.
- The party case. Many PEJU fans buy Reserve wines for special dinners and a case of Province for everything else. Holiday season is the time for the case.
- The “I don’t like red wine” friend. Province was made for them.
- The trend-watcher. Give them the original blouge, and let them tell their friends.Shop Province at peju.com, or taste it at the PEJU tasting room in Rutherford, Napa Valley. Serve chilled. Share widely
Province FAQ
- What is blouge wine?
Blouge is wine made from both red and white grapes, served chilled. The name joins the French words blanc (white) and rouge (red). Blouges can be fermented together or blended after each wine is made, and they range in color from ruby to copper. - Is blouge the same as rosé?
No. Rosé is usually made from red grapes with brief skin contact, and in Europe rosé generally cannot be made by mixing red and white wine. Blouge intentionally combines red and white grapes or wines, so it often has more structure than rosé while staying fresh and chillable. - Can you mix red and white wine together?
Yes. Winemakers have blended red and white grapes for centuries. Côte-Rôtie in France allows up to 20% white Viognier with red Syrah, and classic Chianti once included white grapes. PEJU has blended red and white wine for Province since 1987. - What is PEJU Province?
PEJU Province is a non-vintage red and white blend from PEJU in Napa Valley, created by Tony Peju in 1987 as a bridge wine for people moving from white to red. Oak-aged red wine is blended with white wine from the current harvest. Over the years the blend has included Cabernet Sauvignon, French Colombard, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. - Should PEJU Province be served chilled?
Yes. Serve Province at 44 to 55°F. If it is stored in the refrigerator, take it out right before pouring. - Why is it called Province and not Provence?
The wine was named Provence in 1996 because it tasted like the easygoing wines of southern France. On March 10, 2006, the U.S. and the European Union signed a wine trade agreement that bars new American wine brands from using 16 European wine names, such as Champagne, Burgundy and Chablis, while grandfathering labels approved before that date. To avoid conflict with the protected Provence appellation, PEJU changed one letter in 2008, and Provence became Province. - Why is there a unicorn on the Province label?
The new Province label features a unicorn inspired by the weathervane at the top of the PEJU tower in Rutherford, Napa Valley. - What foods pair with PEJU Province?
Province pairs with roast turkey and cranberry sauce, glazed ham, roast pork, charcuterie and cheese boards, and spicy dishes. Its red fruit, plush tannins and bright acidity make it a single bottle that works for both red and white wine drinkers at a holiday table. - Where can I buy PEJU Province?
Province is sold at peju.com and at the PEJU tasting room in Rutherford, Napa Valley. It is one of PEJU’s best-selling wines and a popular holiday gift.
