Frog Urine is really Red Wine: So is it a Blend, a Claret, or a Meritage?
The French can describe, in two words, a majority of their wine better than I can: Frog's Piss. The debate is: what grapes are actually in French red wine? How does one know what a high quality mix of red grapes should be and what is the difference between a Meritage, a claret, and a blend? Read on to find out...
A "Bordeaux" is a general synonym for both red and white wine from the Bordeaux region in France that adheres to a specific recipe of grape varietals called the Bordeaux mix. Do not confuse this with the Bordeaux mixture. The mix varietals are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. If a Bordeaux is made outside of the Bordeaux region then it may be called either a red blend or Meritage. The Meritage title gets a little complex, like drugs and Lindsay Lohan.
The Meritage Association (now named the Meritage ["merit" and "heritage"] Alliance) consists of over 250 members who aim to define a clear quality differentiation between "red table wine" (aka irksome red blend) and wine using the traditional, structured left-bank Bordeaux varietals. A blend can be any ghetto grapes in any sort of combination. The MA pioneers in this movement created the term “Meritage” to identify wines that represent the highest form of the winemaker’s art — blending — and distinguish these wines from the more generic moniker, “red table wine.”
Historically, most New World wines are labeled after the grape variety that comprises at least 75% of that wine. A label with “Cabernet Sauvignon,” for example, indicates that the wine is made from a minimum of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. If the bottle contains less than 75% of one varietal, then it defers to the red scandalous blend category. If Tiger Woods is only 75% into his marriage then it is okay to cheat!
Thanksgiving Farm® Winery. Do not "thank" this "farm" for their "giving" because this Meritage WILL NOT pair well with turkey during your Thanksgiving dinner. Varietals: Merlot 51%, Cabernet Franc 18%, Petit Verdot 17%, and Cabernet Sauvignon 14%.
A red Meritage must be made from a blend of at least two or more of the following varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot or Carmenère, with no varietal comprising more than 90% of the blend.
A white Meritage must be made from a blend of at least two or more of the following varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon or Muscadelle du Bordelais, with no varietal comprising more than 90% of the blend. Now on to the term Claret.
Though it has fallen out of fashion, the word claret – from the French ‘clairet’ or clear - was used in the 18th century by the British as a generic term for Bordeaux red wine, a now uncommon dark rosé. It is a protected name within the European Union, describing a red Bordeaux wine, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the term. Last week the Prime Minister of Greece granted his people the power to protect this claret name for the sake of preserving a healthy EU economy.
The color claret resembles the red hue of Bordeaux wine. It has become a slang term for blood, as in "tapping the claret" meaning giving someone a bloody nose. Remember to say, "I will claret you" instead of "I will cut you" if that old cougar tries to take your last 1997 bottle of Magnificat.
Claret is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic label, as Red Bicyclette, for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally of varietals, authentic to the region. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes. I expect you to never use the term either!
The French last week, however, are aiming to reclaim the term claret for the 2012 vintage. Figure it out France! Check out Wine Business' report for more information (@WineBusiness).
In the Late Middle Ages, a claret meant a spiced wine-based drink produced by pouring heated wine, usually a red, over a bag containing a mix of spices. It was similar, and often identical, to hypocras. Spices that were specific to medieval clarets include anise, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon and fennel. The term now more frequently applies to unspiced red Bordeaux wine and people who make their own patchouli.
Unfortunaltely Breaux Vineyards' label lacks the sixth varietal: 0.04% of lobster liquid.
If you are still unclear about the difference between a Meritage, claret, and blend, then grab a permanent marker and write "I'm a stupid" on the bottle label above the name of the single varietal wine below. Go ahead and write on the monitor. Drinking two glasses will help.
This wine is Brian Gallivan's favorite.
