Wine Peeps is an independent wine blog dedicated to helping you get the most bang for your buck in wine. We do this through blind tastings of wine from around the world and calculations of 
Wine Word of the Week: Meritage
By Kori ~ August 20th, 2009.
This week’s Wine Word of the Week is Meritage.
Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Meritage is the name coined in 1981 by the winner of a competition in the Los Angeles Times for American wines made from a blend of grape varieties in the image of Bordeaux, devised to distinguish these wines from varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc., most usefully on wine lists. This trade-marked name is legally available on labels only to American wineries that agree to join the Meritage Association….
Layman’s terms from Kori:
Meritage is a trademarked name used by American producers who are members of the Meritage Association to label their Bordeaux-style blends. This term gives the impression of a higher quality wine rather than simply calling it a red or white table wine.
Filed under: Wine Word of the Week
