Are you looking to add wine to your part planning in Sarasota? Things have really changed in the world of American wine over the past few years.
As Americans became more familiar with wine varietal types wine producers began to introduce new vintages that were made from blending grape varieties, as has been done in Europe for thousands of years. Lacking an official category name the industry created a new one for them – Blends. Clever huh?
Back in the 1970’s American winemakers invented the idea of making wine from one primary grape, to allow for simplicity in naming and marketing their wines. Since these products were made from one variety of grape they were categorized under the heading, “varietals.” Most states require that a minimum of 75% of the primary grape listed on the bottle to be in the bottle.
The development of varietal categories also helped we colonists to get a basic understanding of wine. However, it failed to recognize the fact that it’s in the blending of various grapes that great wines are produced.
Unlike California, Europeans have no aversion to blending grapes together to make a better wine, but they are fussy as to which grapes are blended together in specific regions.
Most European wine regions utilize the juice of a specific group of grapes that grow best in their respective terroir and they take great pride in producing superb examples of the same basic blend year after year. Their consumers are aware of this approach, so the wines are named for the various towns or regions of origin rather than for the grapes utilized.
In the USA a wine made from a limited blend must, by law, identify the specific grapes used. They appear on the label in the order of volume. So a blend specified as Cabernet/Zinfandel will contain more Cab than Zin. However, many new blends utilize juice from many grapes and are allowed to market their product under a proprietary name such as Conundrum, The Prisoner or Insignia.
One of the most prestigious red blends on the market today is a little thing from Napa Valley called Meritage (rhymes with “heritage”). Meritage is an American version of the legendary Bordeaux blend of France, the mother of all wine regions. While Bordeaux is considered the granddaddy of all blends, its American cousin has also found recognition and respect worldwide.
To understand Meritage one must appreciate the laws of blending wines. In France, wine laws limit the Bordeaux blend to only five native grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The final product is considered by most wine enthusiasts to be the most noble of all wines. There is such a thing as a White Meritage – but let’s save that for another time.
In 1988 a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify handcrafted wines blended from the traditional “noble” Bordeaux varietals following the same French rules.
The term “Meritage,” 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.” Please don’t try to Frenchify the word by adding a “zh” sound at the end like in “garage.” It sounds pretentious and it’s wrong.
While the specific flavors, and general quality of Meritage wines differ from producer to producer, the wines can usually be described as exhibiting deep red and purple hues. The aromas are bright, ripe, and forward with a strong concentration of blackberry, red cherry, anise with vanilla and oak integration. Their generous palate is dominated by sweet berry and cedar-oak qualities credited to the extended period spent in barrel. The flavors are long and round, finishing with firm, yet elegant tannins.
Meritage is perfect for lovers of rich, delicious reds. Medium to heavy bodied, with deep concentration, the wines are powerful, yet smooth examples of just how wines can be enhanced by thoughtful blending.
Unfortunately, many of the California produced Meritage wines are considered the finest work of their respective winery, so they tend to be quite expensive (the original Meritage, Opus One typically sells for about $300) there are many versions produced with more modest pricing.
You can find Meritage blends at most of the area’s major wine stores. Meritage makes a great gift for the wine lover in your life. Just in case you’re developing a holiday list.