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Red and White Table Wine labels may not tickle your fancy, but how about Meritage? How do they relate?

Prior to the late 1980s, a wine now labeled Red Meritage or White Meritage might have borne a lack-luster label of "Table Wine." Does that mean all Red and White Table wines are Meritage wines? Not by a long shot.

In the late '80s, a group of American vintners, frustrated with limitations on varietal labeling requirements, decided to create a special name for their high-quality blends of traditional Bordeaux varietals. The term "Meritage" was coined to identify these wines and distinguish them from the more generic moniker "red table wine." The same marketing rationale led wineries in British Columbia to adopt the term as well. In 1988, The Meritage Association was formed to encourage the use of the term and criteria for Meritage wine, wines blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux varietals.

"While most wines are named after a single grape varietal, Meritage wines represent the highest form of the winemaker's art, blending," explains the Association.

According to the Meritage Association's standards, a wine must meet the following criteria to be labeled Meritage:

• A red Meritage is 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 Carmenère. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.
• A white Meritage is made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Sauvignon Vert. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.

Most North American wines are labeled after the grape variety that comprises at least 75% of that wine (depending on varying labeling laws). A label with "Cabernet Sauvignon," for example, might indicate the wine is comprised of 75% or more of the grape variety Cabernet Sauvignon.

Many winemakers believe varietal labeling requirements do not always encourage production of the highest quality wine from their vineyards. Some years, the blending of two or more varietals is the winemaker's best avenue to a fine wine. A "Meritage" label, on the other hand, gives flexibility to the winemaker's art, while still communicating quality varietal content to the consumer, information not provided by the more generic "table wine" label.

"Meritage" (pronounced like "heritage") was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest to name this new wine category. Although an invented word, Meritage combines the words "merit" and "heritage" and reflects the underlying principles of The Meritage Association.

Michaela Rodeno, President of The Meritage Association, encourages winemakers to join the Association's efforts.

"When special blends are given fancy names because they can't be called by their varietal components," notes Rodeno, "people don't know what the wines are. Let's try to make it easier for the consumers."

Thanks in large part to the Association's efforts, high-quality North American blended wines (made with traditional Bordeaux varieties), confusion caused by a proliferation of proprietary "table wine" no doubt will abate as Meritage wines gain increased attention.

Many wine retailers and restaurateurs are now responding to demand for Meritage wines by stocking or listing them separately in their stores and on their wine lists.

Reviews of Northwest Meritage Wines

Questions and Answers
with Michaela Rodeno
President Meritage Association

If you have some Chardonnay in your white blend or Zinfandel in your red blend, can the wine still qualify as Meritage?

No. There has been some confusion about this; just because the wine is a blend, doesn't mean it necessarily qualifies as a Meritage. This is part of an educational program we're conducting about what Meritage means. The wine can contain only Bordeaux varieties. In other words, Meritage could be a shorthand definition for a high quality Bordeaux blend, made in America. Some Canadian wineries are also using the designation.

Was the word Meritage invented for this purpose?

Yes. The name was created by Neil Edgar of Newark, California. There were more than 6,000 entries in the international contest to come up with a name. As a word that has no previous meaning, an invented term, Meritage allows us to define its meaning. It combines merit - as in "these are my best wines" - and heritage, as in the Bordeaux tradition of blending.

Is there a symbol on a bottle of Meritage wine?

Not a graphic symbol. If an Association winery member wants, they can use the word Meritage on the label. But they don't have to use the word as long as the blend corresponds to the requirements. If your wine has a fantasy name, like "Rhapsody," you can participate as a member of the Association and elect not to have the word Meritage on your label.

What are your goals?

My primary goal for the Meritage Association is to create a better understanding of what Meritage wines are -- what Meritage means for consumers, since there seems to be a fair amount of confusion about that. I also want to work on developing the distribution of Meritage wines, particularly in restaurants. There are a few leading edge Meritage blend sections on [restaurant] wine lists, but there should be a lot more. To lose these special wines in varietal sections of wine lists is a missed opportunity.

Another goal is to expand the membership of the Meritage Association to support the market activity we're planning. We have a web site with educational material. We will be targeting restaurants to develop Meritage sections on their wine lists and maybe doing Meritage promotions, such as Meritage by the glass flights, all geared to building consumer awareness.

A secondary priority is to continue the ongoing dialogue with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms to create a class and type of wine called Meritage in the regulations. One of the original impetuses to create this new name was to find a way to identify these extraordinary wines in a positive manner, not as simple, unflattering "table wines."

The idea is to make the best wine you can and not be constrained by having it contain 75% of something. The problem is that the B.A.T.F. doesn't yet recognize Meritage as a class or type, so that even if a winery uses Meritage on its label, it still has to say "red wine" or "red table wine" or use the varietal name. If we are successful and enough people use the term, the B.A.T.F. is favorable to changing the labeling regulations to include Meritage as a class or type.

Do wine competitions and judging around the country have Meritage categories?

I don't think so. It's a good idea, however, as that would be another way of establishing Meritage as a category. It comes down to simplifying the transfer of information to consumers.

Much of the information for this article comes from
 The Meritage Association website.

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