In 1988, a group of
American vintners formed The Meritage Association (now The Meritage
Alliance) to identify and promote handcrafted wines blended from the
traditional “noble” Bordeaux varieties.
Historically, most New
World wines are labeled after the grape variety that comprises at least
75% of that wine. A label with “Cabernet Sauvignon,” for example,
indicates that the wine is made from a minimum of 75% Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes.
Many winemakers, however, believe the varietal
requirements do not necessarily result in the highest quality wine.
The pioneers in this movement created the term “Meritage” to identify
wines that represent the highest form of the winemaker’s art — blending
— and distinguish these wines from the more generic moniker, “red table
wine.”
“Meritage,” pronounced like “heritage,” was selected from
more than 6,000 entries in an international contest to name the new
wine category. Meritage is an invented word that combines “merit” and
“heritage” — reflecting the quality of the grapes and the ancient art
of blending wine.
Over the years, the word “Meritage” has been
widely adopted into the English lexicon. Housing developments,
apartments, hotels, restaurants, financial firms and even car washes
use “Meritage” in their names, and it is often used to describe a
mixture of several things or something of unusually high quality.