Meritage wines
The word meritage is derived from the words “merit” for the quality of wines and “heritage” for its liking to the old Bordeaux tradition. The name was invented to solve the problem of what to call a blended wine if it did not contain enough of one grape varietal (US federal regulations requires 75% of a single varietal to be in the bottle before you can put the name of the grape on the label – otherwise it must be called “table wine”).
Many wine consumers believe that only varietally labeled bottles contain the highest quality wine. Many winemakers, however, believe that the varietal requirement does not necessarily result in the highest quality wine from their vineyards. Therefore, “Meritage” was coined to identify wines that represent the highest form of the art of blending.
A red Meritage wine must be made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the classic Bordeaux grape varietals. The proportions may vary, but at least three of the grape varieties must be used.
For the white Meritage, only Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are permitted.
There has been an ongoing debate on the proper pronunciation. Does it rhyme with “heritage” or should it be pronounced like the French region “Hermitage” (hehr-me-TAHJ) because the wines are modeled after French Bordeaux-style wines. The debate was settled by the Meritage Association, a nonprofit group based in California whose purpose is to educate consumers of Meritage wines and promote wines blended in the Bordeaux tradition.
The association is in favor of the “heritage” pronunciation.