Dr. David Muhleman

The-Wine-Educator    WINE & SPIRITS EDUCATION AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE CONSUMER AND THE PROFESSIONAL

"Meritage," the Name

The wine name Meritage (rhymes with "heritage" or, alternatively pronounced by some as meh-ree-TAHJ) was coined in 1988 by a group of vintners who wanted to establish standards and an identity for a class of American wines that were blends of traditional Bordeaux grape varieties.

The word is a compound of the words “merit” and “heritage.” Because such wine is not made of at least 75% of one grape, by law it cannot put the name of that grape (such as "Cabernet Sauvignon") on its label, hence the original impetus to design the name.

In the late '80s, some winemakers felt that the 75% varietal requirement stymied fine winemaking and did not always result in the highest quality wine made from their vineyards. They believed that the word "Meritage" would indicate the high art of blending Bordeaux varieties. Furthermore, it would distinguish their wines from jug wines, themselves often blends of various grapes, that were labeled simply "red table wine."

There are two Meritages, one red, the other, white. A red Meritage was to be a blend of at least three of a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec or Petit Verdot – the classic Bordeaux grape varieties. A white Meritage was to be a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. And so the Meritage Association was established.

Interestingly, some of the most prestigious California (and French-based California) makers of Bordeaux blends – Robert Mondavi & Château Mouton- Rothschild, Christian Mouiex and Joseph Phelps – do not belong to the association, favoring the use of their wines' proprietary names (respectively, Opus One, Dominus and Insignia).

Tidbits: * Clos du Bois (pronounced “cloe dew bwah”) roughly translates as the “Enclosure or Vineyard in the Woods,” but was really named after the winery’s first owner, Frank Woods.