About the Meritage Association

In 1985, limitations imposed by U.S. federal regulations restricted the wording used on labels of wines containing less than 75% of a single grape variety to “table wine.” Regulations also rejected use of the descriptor “Bordeaux-blend,” commonly used by winemakers to describe the blending of grape varieties originally planted in France’s Bordeaux winegrowing region. Additionally, some vintners had become unhappy with the designation “reserve,” believing the word had lost its original luster due to marketing overuse.

With seemingly no way for American vintners to satisfactorily and legally describe the artisinal winemaking method of blending on their labels, a group of two dozen winemakers came together in 1987 to find a solution. Led by vintners Agustin Huneeus, Mitch Cosentino and Julie Garvey, they decided to create a new name to help identify premium quality, handcrafted, blended wines made in the Bordeaux tradition.

A national contest provided the word “Meritage,” a blend of the word merit (for quality) and heritage (for the Bordeaux tradition of blending wines); and in 1988, the Meritage Association was founded. As Huneeus remarked, “I knew ‘Meritage’ was a great opportunity because we needed a denomination; Bordeaux blend is a misnomer – our grapes are not grown in Bordeaux and the wines are not produced there.”

Meritage® is a registered trademark of the Meritage Association.