What is Meritage?

Meritage Association
In 1988, a group of American vintners formed the Meritage Association to create a classification that would identify hand-crafted Bordeaux style blends. No longer would a winemaker be confined to a percentage. The only limitations were that he or she must use two or more Bordeaux varieties in the final blend. With little restriction, a winemaker could now take the best grapes from a given vintage – a dash of Merlot here, a dollop of Cabernet Franc there, to make the best wine possible.

Fast forward over 25 years later, the Meritage Association is stronger than ever. At over 200 members, Meritage wine has blossomed into one of America’s fast growing categories of wine. The name Meritage® (pronounced like “heritage”) was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest. The association liked the combination of “merit” and “heritage” used in coining this new term. Today, the Meritage Association (now called Meritage Alliance) defines Meritage wine as “an American expression of excellence for wines blended in the Bordeaux tradition.” In order to obtain a license and use the term Meritage®, a wine must meet a few criteria:

Red Meritage:
Must be made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenere. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.

White Meritage:
Must be made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Vert. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.