Meritage is a word used to distinguish wines that are made in the style of Bordeaux but without infringing on that region's legally protected appellation. The result of a contest to coin a new word that would serve as its own brand rather than trading on a European place name, it is a combination of "merit" and "heritage," and is pronounced to rhyme with the latter word. Without a brand name like Meritage, a wine would have to be labeled "Red Table Wine" (or "White Table Wine") or given a proprietary name unique to the winery. The Meritage name is copyright of the Meritage Association (http://www.meritagewine.org ) and can only be used by member wineries that pay a fee per case of wine, which must also be the best wine of their type sold by the winery. The Meritage Association only accepts US wineries as members. Although wines from other countries may be labeled as Meritage, they do not necessarily conform to the specification. A glass of red wine This article is about the beverage. ... City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ... An appellation in its broadest sense is a name or designation. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Red wine from Bordeaux is made with certain grape varieties, principally Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. A red Meritage is made from at least two of these grapes (or the less well known St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenere), and typically would not be permitted to be sold as a varietal wine since it can contain no more than 90% of any one grape (what can be sold as a varietal in the United States, however, depends on U.S. state laws). Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of red grape mainly used for wine production, and is, along with Chardonnay, one of the most widely-planted of the worlds noble grape varieties. ... Merlot is a variety of wine grape used to create a popular red wine. ... Cabernet Franc is a red wine grape variety similar to and a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. ... Petit verdot is a variety of black grape used in the production of red wine, principally in blends with cabernet sauvignon. ... Malbec is a black, mellow grape variety originally grown in France, in the Loire Valley and Cahors. ... Species Vitis acerifolia Vitis aestivalis Vitis amurensis Vitis arizonica Vitis x bourquina Vitis californica Vitis x champinii Vitis cinerea Vitis x doaniana Vitis girdiana Vitis labrusca Vitis x labruscana Vitis monticola Vitis mustangensis Vitis x novae-angliae Vitis palmata Vitis riparia Vitis rotundifolia Vitis rupestris Vitis shuttleworthii Vitis tiliifolia Vitis... The Carmenere grape is a wine grape variety originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France where it is used to produce deep red wines occasionally used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot. ... Varietal describes wines made from a single named grape variety. ... A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ...

White Meritage bears the same relationship to white Bordeaux as its red counterpart. It is a blend of at least two of the grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Sauvignon Vert. City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ... Sauvignon blanc is a white wine grape probably originating in the Bordeaux region of France that is now planted in much of the worlds winelands producing a crisp dry refreshing white varietal wine. ... Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make white wines, most notably in Bordeaux and Australia. ...