Meritage: What Flavor Wine is That?

Copyright L. Daniel Mouer 2004

What’s in a name?

One evening this past winter a friend one evening was perusing my “trophy shelf” where I have exhibited bottles of my wines that have won medals or ribbons in amateur winemaking competitions. He picked up one bottle which was bedecked with a blue ribbon awarded by the Virginia State Fair. The wine was my 2001 Meritage. My friend scrunched up his forhead, trying to make sense of this strange, unfamiliar wine name and asked, “Meritage…what flavor of grape is that?”

Have you been browsing through the shelves of California wines lately and found yourself staring curiously at a bottle whose label proclaims it to me a “Meritage?” Are you even further confused when you see two bottles right next to each other—one a deep garnet red wine and the other a pale straw white wine—and they both claim to be “Meritage?” Perhaps in these pages we can clear up your confusion and point you the way—both as wine lover and wine maker—to see a little Meritage in your own future.

First, let’s tackle the name. It isn’t French, and it isn’t pronounced “mare-a-TAZH,” but, rather, it rhymes with “heritage.” It is a wholly made-up name, and it is the registered trademark of The Meritage Association (http://www.meritagewine.org/), a non-profit group of commercial winemakers, from thirteen of the United States and two Canadian provinces, devoted to producing blended wines in the manner of Bordeaux. The word is a composite of “merit,” suggesting the best wines these wineries produce, and “heritage,” reflecting the blending tradition of Bordeaux. Commercial winemakers may not use the term on their labels unless they become members of The Meritage Association, win license approval by adhering to Association guidelines, and pay a $1 per case fee. Home winemakers, on the other hand, can feel a bit freer using the term on their labels, but whether or not you ever call one of your own wines a “Meritage,” it is good to know what the term represents, and aiming to make fine Meritage-type wines is a goal well worth pursuing.

Blends vs. Varietals

History, tradition, and law dictate that, until quite recently, French wines, excepting those of Alsace, are not named for the grape variety used in their making. Instead, they are named for the place where they are made (e.g., “Graves” or “Chateau Palmer” or, simply, “Bordeaux” or “Burgundy”). When you see a French wine with a grape name on its label, you can be sure it has been packaged that way to sell in the grocery stores and wine shops of North America. The same holds generally true for the wines of Spain, Portugal and (with more exceptions) Italy. In the New World, on the other hand, fine wines are typically named after the variety of grape that makes the wine (e.g., “Cabernet Sauvignon,” “Merlot,” or “Semillon”). Most Western European wines are blends of two or more (sometimes many more) grape varieties. New World wines, as a rule, contain at least 75% of a single grape, and other grapes that may appear in a blend are typically not mentioned on the label. Central European countries, such as Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic also tend to use varietal labeling.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each system, but for some North American wine makers or wine buyers, blending may seem a bit mysterious. A commercial winemaker trying to sell in our markets naturally wants to label his or her wines with names that are meaningful to customers, so if customers are looking for “Merlot,” the label needs to say “Merlot.” On the other hand, winemakers—professional or amateur—want to make the best possible wines they can make from the raw ingredients they have available to them. So, if a winemaker believes that blending his Merlot with some other varieties can make better wine, but fears that nobody will buy it, he’s got a dilemma. One answer is to invent a new name, promote it heavily, and hope that it will become at least as marketable as “Merlot” or “Cabernet Sauvignon;” and that is how we got “Meritage.”

You might wonder, of course, why winemakers who want to produce wines like those of France don’t simply call their products “Bordeaux,” “Claret,” or “Burgundy,” etc. With a few grandfathered exceptions, French law and international trade agreements protect these place names, or appellations. They are, in fact, trademarks (which is also why North American firms can generally not produce and sell “Dijon” mustard and “Roquefort” cheese). It is also why wine kit manufacturers now sell “Chamblaise” kits instead of “Chablis,” which is the protected name of a type of white wine made from the Chardonnay grape in a tiny part of northern Burgundy.

The Blended Wines of Bordeaux

It is true that blends, skillfully done with complementary grape varieties, often far surpass pure varietals in quality, which is why the great winemaking countries of Western Europe typically produce blended wines. The one wine-producing district in the world that has been the subject of more imitation than any other is certainly Bordeaux, which lies along the Gironde River in southwestern France. There are three principal styles of wine made in Bordeaux. The dry red wine is sometimes called “Claret,” or simply “red Bordeaux.” There is a dry white wine style, mostly from the Graves region, and a sweet white wine style, the latter principally from the villages around Sauternes and Barsac. The best of these wines are generally accepted to be among the very finest (and most expensive) wines in the world. No wonder grape growers and winemakers in California, British Columbia, New Zealand or South Africa want to emulate them. So let’s look at what goes into them.

Red Bordeaux table wines are usually made from a large percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the principal red grape of Bordeaux, especially the regions of Pauillac, Margaux, The Medoc, St.-Julian and St.-Estephe. Merlot and Cabernet Franc are more prominent in the regions of St Emilion and Pomerol. Red Bordeaux wines are blends of these three great red grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc—in varying proportions, along with small amounts of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and a few others. Red Bordeaux wines typically complete malolactic fermentation and spend some time aging in new and/or old oak.

Dry, white Bordeaux is best represented by the wines of Graves, which are made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes, sometimes with a small addition of the floral Muscadelle grape (known in California as Sauvignon Vert). There are other dry and off-dry wines made in Bordeaux from lesser grapes, such as Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) and Colombard, but these are not the concern of folks trying to make the likes of the great wines of this region. White Graves do not undergo malolactic fermentation and are rarely fermented or aged in oak. Freshness and crispness are the qualities that best describe these wonderfully refreshing and aromatic wines.

The rich, sweet wines of Sauternes are also made from Sauvignon and Semillon, and here a touch of Muscadelle is especially welcome. These differ from the dry Graves by being late-harvest, botrytized wines. They are long-lived, and full of complex character: and the epitome of dessert wines.

What Makes it Meritage?

To go back to where we began, what, exactly, is a “Meritage?” In principal, it is a blended wine, made in the spirit of, and using the primary grapes of Bordeaux. Specifically, the Meritage Association defines a Meritage wine as follows:

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 Carmenere. 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, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert (Muscadelle). No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.

While it is unlikely most of us will come across St. Macaire or Gros Verdot, it won’t be hard to come up with the biggies: the Cabernets, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Malbec, Carmenere and Muscadelle may be a bit difficult to find, but they are available. If you don’t have access to locally grown Bordeaux varieties, they can be purchased as kits, concentrates, and as pasteurized or frozen juice or must, with sources as diverse as California, New York, Ontario, France, Italy, South America, and Down Under.

Cabernet Sauvignon will typically provide the basic structure for the red wine, although Cabernet Franc can do this as well if grown in a favorable environment. In addition the Cabernet Franc provides spicy flavors and a heady, violet-scented aroma. Merlot rounds and softens the blend while harmonizing the dark-fruit cab flavors of cassis and blackcurrant with bright red-cherry notes. Petit Verdot adds color, tannin, and depth. If you are going for a St.-Emilion or Pomerol style (think Cheval-Blanc or Petrus) then you may want to use Merlot or Cabernet Franc as the lead grape.

For red Meritage, the goal of your blend can be either an understated wine with full, vinous aroma and tons of finesse, or it can be a big, somewhat tannic bruiser with gobs of fruit and lots of complexity. It helps to become familiar with good examples of Bordeaux wines before trying to emulate them. Personally, when I make red Meritage, I avoid the highly extracted, chewy California model and also the big plum-fruited soft type typical of some Aussie wines. Bordeaux, even when it’s “big,” tends to be delicate, complex, and just slightly understated. The Holy Grail in making a red Meritage is to achieve a wine with great finesse. Do complete malolactic fermentation (unless you are using kits), and don’t over-oak. Good Bordeaux wines are not dominated by oak! Acids can be a touch higher than we are used to in California wines, and both color and body can be a bit lighter.

For dry white Meritage, use cool fermentation temps, avoid malolactic fermentation and oak, and bottle as soon as possible. The Sauvignon Blanc grape varies tremendously, depending on where it is grown. In Graves it typically has grassy-herbaceous and mineral notes along with a lemony fruit. This contrasts with the pineapple tones of California Sauvignon. New Zealand Sauvignon comes close, but sometimes gets too much of a haystack-and-straw character. You want fruit, but it should be clean, light, noble fruit. Total acidity should be a good bit higher than you would normally get from California grapes. “Crisp” is what you’re looking for. The Semillon is a very important element, for it offers a counterpoint of depth and roundness to the flavor. Semillon can be somewhat nondescript from some West Coast sources, but France and Australia produce really good Semillon. At its best it is full of flavor and aroma, and most agree it marries beautifully with Sauvignon Blanc.

Sweet, white, Sauternes-style wines require late-harvest, botrytis-affected grapes with very high sugar concentrations. Semillon usually comprises the majority of the blend, and Muscadelle is used in very small doses: just enough to add a floral-spice note to the aroma. Use a vigorous yeast and nutrient, and be prepared to let this wine rest in the cellar for a a few years before it begins to show its true deep golden color and rich apricot lushness.

The term “Meritage” describes a wine’s general style and specifies the component grapes that may have contributed to the blend. Some commercial producers use “Meritage” on their label as a descriptive term, while choosing to use a proprietary name for the wine that they hope will gain its own recognition. For example, Rodney Strong Vineyards in Sonoma County calls their Meritage “Symmetry,” and Guenoc Winery of Middletown, California calls theirs “Langtry.”

Blending strategies

Making Meritage is a matter of having component wines available from the appropriate Bordeaux grapes, and then creating a blend that brings them together in a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. There are a few basic ground rules in wine blending:


Ferment the grapes separately. Blend only after all the wines are stable.

• After blending, allow at least a few weeks of additional bulk aging before bottling. Blending two or three stable wines can produce an unstable blend. You may need to consider further aging, fining or filtering.
• NEVER blend a defective wine with better wine in order to “lose” it in the blend. Wines with excessive volatile acidity, microbial infections, geranium fault, or similar conditions will most likely ruin any wines they are blended with.
• Do not blend wines that have undergone malolactic fermentation with those that have not done so. If you do, you will have to add very high quantities of sulfite to your wine to try to keep it stable in the bottle for long aging. Otherwise, you can let the new blend complete MLF before bottling, but you may not like the results.
• While your wines are bulk aging, experiment with some different blends. Make careful measurements and keep good notes. By the time the component wines are clear and reasonably stable, you will have developed a good idea of their individual characteristics. Be sure to de-gas your samples before tasting. Carbonic acid (dissolved CO2) or a little spritz will highly effect your wine’s perceived flavor and aroma profile.
• Blend for balance. Blend over-acidic wines with low-acid wines to achieve a proper balance. Blend deeply colored wines with those that are too light in color. High alcohol wines can be blended with those that are deficient in strength.
• Blend for complexity, especially when making a Meritage. By carefully tasting and smelling your component wines you will develop an idea of their strengths and weaknesses, in terms of aroma and flavor. Fill out a long, thin wine with a one that provides a deep, full mid-palate flavor. Balance spiciness with richness.

There are a few special things to consider if kit wines are among the constituents of your blend. Allow the wines to bulk age for the full time recommended on the kit plus a few more weeks. Add the finings and the final dose of meta, but don’t add any sorbate or extra “flavor packs” that might introduce sorbate or additional sugars. After blending and allowing a few weeks to be certain the new wine is reasonably stable, you may add sorbate and another small meta dose before bottling if you like, but these should not be necessary. Because kits are engineered products, unexpected results might accompany blending. Allow plenty of time for the blend to stabilize. Additional fining and/or filtering may be needed before bottling. Do not blend a kit wine with a wine made from grapes or frozen must unless the latter has been kept adequately sulfited to prevent MLF and the build up of malolactic bacteria. You do not want a kit wine to undergo MLF under any circumstances.

Home winemakers have access to a world of good ingredients. We can buy grapes locally in many areas of North America, and we can order grapes or stabilized musts and juices from various quarters of the globe. We also have access, via local dealers or online shops, to quality wine kits. We are free to blend Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California with Merlot from Italy, Cabernet Franc from Ontario and a kit blend of Carmenere and Malbec from Chile! I suspect that the French winemakers of Bordeaux would argue that we cannot make a Bordeaux-like wine simply because our grapes aren’t grown in Bordeaux. We are missing that essential terroir. Perhaps that is true. We can, however, develop expertise in blending those noble grape varieties to make our own wines of great merit true to the venerable heritage of Bordeaux. In short, we can produce our own red and white Meritage wines. The challenge then is to respond to our friends’ puzzlement when we serve them our creations and they look at our homegrown labels and say, “What flavor of grape is that?”