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Dan’s ’01 Meritage won a Blue Ribbon at the Virginia State Fair
Have you been browsing through the shelves of California wines lately and found yourself staring curiously at a bottle whose label proclaims it to be a “Meritage” (rhymes with “heritage”). Are you even further confused when you see two bottles right next to each other—one a deep garnet red wine and the other a pale straw white wine—and they both claim to be “Meritage?” What, exactly, is a “Meritage?” In principal, it is a blended wine, made in the spirit of, and using the primary grapes of Bordeaux. The name is the creation of the Meritage Association, a not-for-profit collection of winemakers whose mission is to popularize Bordeaux-style blends among North American winemakers and wine drinkers. Specifically, the Meritage Association defines a Meritage wine as follows:
A red Meritage is made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenere. No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.
A white Meritage is made from a blend of two or more of the following varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert (Muscadelle). No single variety may make up more than 90 percent of the blend.
Cabernet Sauvignon will typically provide the basic structure for the red wine, although Cabernet Franc can do this as well if grown in a favorable environment. In addition the Cabernet Franc provides spicy flavors and a heady, violet-scented aroma. Merlot rounds and softens the blend while harmonizing the dark-fruit cab flavors of cassis and blackcurrant with bright red-cherry notes. Petit Verdot adds color, tannin, and depth. If you are going for a St.-Emilion or Pomerol style, then you may want to use Merlot or Cabernet Franc as the lead grape.
For red Meritage, the goal of your blend can be either an understated wine with full, vinous aroma and tons of finesse, or it can be a big, somewhat tannic bruiser with gobs of fruit and lots of complexity. It helps to become familiar with good examples of Bordeaux wines before trying to emulate them. Personally, when I make red Meritage, I avoid the highly extracted, chewy California model and also the big plum-fruited soft type typical of some Aussie wines. Bordeaux, even when it’s “big,” tends to be delicate, complex, and slightly understated. The Holy Grail in making a red Meritage is to achieve a wine with great finesse. Do complete malolactic fermentation (unless you are using kits), and don’t over-oak. Good Bordeaux wines are not dominated by oak! Acids can be a touch higher than we are used to in California wines, and both color and body can be a bit lighter.
For dry white Meritage, use cool fermentation temps, avoid malolactic fermentation and oak, and bottle as soon as possible. The Sauvignon Blanc grape varies tremendously, depending on where it is grown. In Graves it typically has grassy-herbaceous and mineral notes along with a lemony fruit. This contrasts with the pineapple tones of California Sauvignon. New Zealand Sauvignon comes close, but sometimes gets too much of a haystack-and-straw character. You want fruit, but it should be clean, light, noble fruit. Total acidity should be a good bit higher than you would normally get from California grapes. “Crisp” is what you’re looking for. The Semillon is a very important element, for it offers a counterpoint of depth and roundness to the flavor. Semillon can be somewhat nondescript from some West Coast sources, but France and Australia produce really good Semillon. At its best it is full of flavor and aroma, and most agree it marries beautifully with Sauvignon Blanc.
Sweet, white, Sauternes-style wines require late-harvest, botrytis-affected grapes with very high sugar concentrations. Semillon usually comprises the majority of the blend, and Muscadelle is used in very small doses: just enough to add a floral-spice note to the aroma. Use a vigorous yeast and nutrient, and be prepared to let this wine rest in the cellar for a few years before it begins to show its true deep golden color and rich apricot lushness.
We can fairly easily come up with the two cabs and merlot almost anywhere in North America, whether as locally-grown grapes, purchased frozen or sterile musts, or in the format of quality wine kits. It’s also not too difficult to find Malbec. For making white Meritage wines, it shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with Sauvignon Blanc. Semillion is a bit tougher. There’s a good bit of it grown in California, but, as a rule, West Coast Semillion is not as gracious and gutsy as that from Bordeaux, but it may be all we have available most of the time. Muscadelle is essential in a sweet white Bordeaux, ala Sauternes or Barsac. In California this grape is known as Sauvignon Vert, and I don’t know how readily available it is for home winemakers outside the region where it’s grown.
Home winemakers have access to a world of good ingredients. We are free to blend Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California with Merlot from Italy, Cabernet Franc from Ontario and a kit blend of Carmenere and Malbec from Chile! I suspect that the French winemakers of Bordeaux would argue that we cannot make a Bordeaux-like wine simply because our grapes aren’t grown in Bordeaux. We are missing that essential terroir. Perhaps that is true. We can, however, develop expertise in blending those noble grape varieties to make our own wines of great merit true to the venerable heritage of Bordeaux (hence the term “Meritage”). For more information on techniques and rationales for blending wines, see my earlier articles at http://www.weekendbrewer.com/Dans%20Cellar%20Notes/06-02.htm and http://www.weekendbrewer.com/Dans%20Cellar%20Notes/12-02.htm.
Sharon writes:
What is the word used for the indentation in the bottom of wine bottles? I heard it on a wine tour – something that meant that you were being taken advantage of .
Sharon ,
I always thought that the term "punt" was a shortening of the word "puntle mark" or "pontle mark" which is the dent and mark left behind by the glassblowers "pontle." That is the long tube used to pick up the ball of molten glass, through which one blows to form the bottle. If you look at bottles from the 18th-c. and earlier, they all have a ragged mark where the pontle broke off. The indent is caused by the weight of the still-molten glass settling down on the pontle.
The "punt" or "kickup," as it is also sometimes called, is biggest on champagne bottles, probably because they are the heaviest. The punt was probably encouraged as a useful item also because it provided a reservoir for yeast and other sediment to settle in the bottle. I have never heard the version about it meaning a person being taken advantage of, but I could certainly see how a huge punt (and in the 17th and 18th centuries they were huge) could fool a person into thinking he was buying more wine than he was actually getting.
***
Joe wrote:
I've notice that there is a small amount of fizz in the last batch I made. It was a chardonnay made from a kit. How do I make sure this doesn't occur again?
One possible (but unlikely)
explanation is that some microbial infection is at work. Kits usually have sufficiently
high doses of metabisulfite to limit that possibility. If, however, you still had some
residual sugar in the must, neither the meta nor the sorbate included in the kit would
necessarily stop a fermentation that had not yet completed.
The most likely explanation is that you bottled too soon...before the wine had stopped
fermenting. Forget about the "four week" or "six-week" descriptions on the kits and use
basic winemaking procedures (e.g., a hydrometer) to be certain fermentation is complete
before fining, stabilizing and bottling.
***
Harold wrote:
I have two carboys of wine in secondary fermentation. The first must was started from grapes. The second carboy contains a Brew King Luna Rossa concentrate from a kit. My question is this. When I get past the second fermentation stage, can I successfully follow the shorter prescription contained in the "kit" when finishing the wine made directly from grapes? The Kit contains a much shorter finishing process than I had intended to use for the basic grape wine.
I suppose the answer to your question is: it depends! It would help greatly if I knew what kind of wine from grapes you have made. Is it red or white? What sort of wine are you hoping to make? Full body? Light? Oaky? Fruity? Is the wine from grapes perfectly clear and stable?
Generally speaking, the methods used in finishing a wine kit, which include degassing, fining, and stabilizing with sorbate and metabisulfite are similar to, but different from traditional methods used for finishing wines from grapes. Kit wines, for one thing, have already been "cold stabilized" to prevent precipitating potassium bitartrate if the bottled wine is stored in a cool place or chilled in a fridge. Depending on the grapes you used, you may have a persistent haze from pectin, tannin or protein that needs a different sort of fining agent than what your kit uses.
If your grape wine is very clear, then don't worry about fining it. If your grape wine is totally bone dry, then you can go ahead and bottle it after giving it a small dose of meta. The dose will depend on a few things, such as the wine's Ph, such as whether or not it has undergone malolactic fermentation (MLF), etc. You'll probably be safe with 1/2 tsp, dissolved in warm water, added at the last racking immediately before bottling. Do not use sorbate in your wine from grapes unless you are planning on having a wine with a sweet finish. Don't add it at all if your wine has undergone any MLF, or your wine will be ruined.
I tend to prefer traditional wine stabilizing methods—whether using kits or grapes. My white wines are racked three times and bottled between 6 and 9 months, except for “reserves” which undergo longer aging on lees or oak chips. My reds are racked 4 times or more, and are bottled at 9-12 months, for kits and lighter-bodied reds from grapes, or 12-18 months for heavier and reserve reds. I do not have to stir vigorously to purge the gas—time and racking takes care of that. I don’t add sorbate because my wines are naturally stable before they are bottled.
I have recently had the pleasure of tasting examples of Winexpert (formerly Brew King) Selection International Italian Montepulciano made by various winemaker friends. One of the most famous wines of Italy is called Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. It is a big, powerful wine meant for aging, and it is made from a specific clone of Tuscany’s most important grape, the Sangiovese, the same grape that makes Brunello de Montelcino and Chianti. Now for the confusing part! Other areas in Italy—especially the east-central and southeastern provinces—produce a fair amount of wine from a completely different grape, called the Montepulciano grape. This wine is called “Montepulciano.” In some cases a place name is appended, as in the rightly well-known wine, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Since both the grape and the locations are different from those that produce Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, the resulting wines are also quite different. Winexpert’s kit is from the Montepulciano grape.
Italian Montepulciano is a mellow, spicy wine, usually with low to moderate tannins. It’s a relatively easy-drinking wine, but certainly one more serious than a simple quaffer or picnic wine. The Winexpert kit makes a true-to-type Montepulciano. The examples I have tasted have been made by folks who pretty much followed the kits directions without modification, and the results are delicious. If you’re looking for a wine that is not inky dark, full of oak and tannin, and can be enjoyed while young and fresh, you’ll enjoy this one. There’s a very nice balance here of spice, fruit and acid. It’s a real winner.
Also, see: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CentralVirginiaWinemakers/
Copyright 2004 L. Daniel Mouer