This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Three different Meritage wines: a 2005 Lyeth Sonoma County, a 2001 Estancia Alexander Valley, and a 2002 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Valley.

Meritage is a proprietary term used to denote red and white Bordeaux-style wines without infringing on that region's legally protected designation of origin. Winemakers must license the trademark from its owner, the California-based Meritage Association. Member wineries are found principally in the United States, though increasingly elsewhere.

[edit] History

The Meritage Association was formed in 1988 by a small group of Napa Valley, California vintners increasingly frustrated by U.S. BATF regulations stipulating wines contain at least 75% of a specific grape to be labeled as that varietal. As interest grew in creating Bordeaux-style wines, which by their blended nature fail to qualify for varietal status, members sought to create a recognizable name for their high-quality blended wines.

In 1988, the association hosted a contest to conceive a proprietary name for these wines, receiving over 6,000 submissions. "Meritage", —a combination of merit and heritage, was selected and its coiner awarded two bottles of the first ten vintages of every wine licensed to use the brand.^[1]

By 1999 The Meritage Association had grown to 22 members. Shifting its focus from trademark policing to education and marketing resulted in swift growth. By 2003 the Association had over 100 members, including its first international participants.

In May of 2009, The Meritage Association announced that it has changed its name to The Meritage Alliance. As of August 2009, the Alliance had over 250 members.

[edit] Trademark licensing and wine production

The Meritage agreement stipulates the blends that can be labeled "Meritage", a fee per case (currently $1.00, capped at $500.00 per vintage), and various labeling restrictions.

Red Bordeaux is made principally from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, with lesser proportions of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. A red Meritage must be made from at least two of these grapes (or the less well known St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenère), with no varietal comprising more than 90% of the blend.

White Meritage is a blend of at least two of the principal white Bordeaux grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle du Bordolais.

Although not stipulated by the licensing agreement, the Meritage Association strongly recommends that wineries label only their best blend Meritage and limit production to no more than 25,000 cases.

[edit] References

Footnotes

[edit] External links

• The Meritage Alliance official site