A Bordeaux by Any Other Name …

As everyone knows, the wine world is full of traditions. One such tradition (and sternly decreed marketing policy) is that even if you make your sparkling wine exactly the way they make it in Champagne but you’re not an actual Champagne winemaker, then you don’t call your Champagne-style wine “Champagne.”

In the same way, in the 1980s, a group of American winemakers set out to find a term that they could use for their Bordeaux-style wines. Believe it or not, they held an international contest. In 1988, out of 6,000 entries, they choice the term “Meritage” — a portmanteau of the words “merit” and “heritage.” (So, though you would think otherwise, the word is actually pronounced so that it rhymes with “heritage.”)

For this Wine Wednesday, we try a little experiment. We’ll taste some Virginia Meritages back to back with some actual Bordeaux wines. Come by and see which wines hold up and which wines let you down. Join us anytime between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.