Meritage: An American Blending Story With French Roots | S13E4
06/23/23 • 12 min
Meritage is a unique American expression of traditional French blends. We explore the history and make-up of Meritage wines.
Resources from this episode:
Books:
Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Study Guide (Society of Wine Educators), Nickles, J. (2017)
Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition, Robinson, J. and Harding, J. (2015)
Websites:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Agreement Between the United States of America and the European Community on Trade in Wine (10 March 2006) https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/us-eu-wine-agreement.pdf
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Part 12 - Foreign nongeneric names of geographic significance used in the designation of wines https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-12
Los Angeles Times: Wine and the Law - A brief history of U.S. label regulations, Brown, C. (9 April 2008) https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-wineside9apr09-story.html
Meritage Alliance: https://www.meritagealliance.com/what-is-meritage/
Meritage Alliance: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Meritage (2013) https://www.meritagealliance.com/media/8177/EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MERITAGE.pdf
Wine Enthusiast: Meritage [Wine and Ratings] (n.d.) https://www.wineenthusiast.com/varietals/meritage/
Wine Enthusiast: What Do ‘Noble Grapes’ Mean in Wine? Barth, J. (15 February 2022) https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/15/noble-grapes-wine-definition/
Wine Lover Magazine: Bordeaux’s American Cousin - What is Meritage Wine? Hoss, O. (N.d.) https://winelovermagazine.com/blog/bordeaux-american-cousin-what-is-meritage-wine/
Glass in Session® Episodes Related to this Session:
S13E1: American Sparkling Wine https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-sparkling-wine-s13e1
S13E2: American Rosé: The Story of our Red White and Blush https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-ros-the-story-of-our-red-white-and-blush
Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session
Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)
Additional music this week: ”Fife and Drum”by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.
Meritage is a unique American expression of traditional French blends. We explore the history and make-up of Meritage wines.
Resources from this episode:
Books:
Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Study Guide (Society of Wine Educators), Nickles, J. (2017)
Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition, Robinson, J. and Harding, J. (2015)
Websites:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Agreement Between the United States of America and the European Community on Trade in Wine (10 March 2006) https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/us-eu-wine-agreement.pdf
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Part 12 - Foreign nongeneric names of geographic significance used in the designation of wines https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-12
Los Angeles Times: Wine and the Law - A brief history of U.S. label regulations, Brown, C. (9 April 2008) https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-wineside9apr09-story.html
Meritage Alliance: https://www.meritagealliance.com/what-is-meritage/
Meritage Alliance: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Meritage (2013) https://www.meritagealliance.com/media/8177/EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MERITAGE.pdf
Wine Enthusiast: Meritage [Wine and Ratings] (n.d.) https://www.wineenthusiast.com/varietals/meritage/
Wine Enthusiast: What Do ‘Noble Grapes’ Mean in Wine? Barth, J. (15 February 2022) https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/15/noble-grapes-wine-definition/
Wine Lover Magazine: Bordeaux’s American Cousin - What is Meritage Wine? Hoss, O. (N.d.) https://winelovermagazine.com/blog/bordeaux-american-cousin-what-is-meritage-wine/
Glass in Session® Episodes Related to this Session:
S13E1: American Sparkling Wine https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-sparkling-wine-s13e1
S13E2: American Rosé: The Story of our Red White and Blush https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-ros-the-story-of-our-red-white-and-blush
Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session
Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)
Additional music this week: ”Fife and Drum”by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.
Previous Episode
J'Adore Amador | S13E3
1 RecommendationsAmador county’s history is rooted not only in gold mining but in zinfandel pioneers. This wine region is rich in American spirit, tenaciousness, and the mother lode of award-winning, quality wines.
So here we are: talking about why j’adore (I love) Amador County and its wines, and why we wine lovers should pay more attention to it.
Resources from this episode:
Books:
Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Study Guide (Society of Wine Educators), Nickles, J. (2017)
Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition, Robinson, J. and Harding, J. (2015)
Shenandoah Valley and Amador Wine Country, Wooten, K. and Baxter, R. S. (2008)
Websites:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Established American Viticultural Areas (last updated 15 August 2022) https://www.ttb.gov/wine/established-avas
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): AVA Map Explorer (29 March 2023) https://www.ttb.gov/wine/ava-map-explorer
Amador Wine Country: Amador Vintner’s Association: https://amadorwine.com
Deaver Vineyards: A family tradition for over 150 years https://www.deavervineyards.com/Our-Story/Deaver-Family-History
New Frontier Wines: Renwood https://www.newfrontierwines.com/Wines/Renwood
Sacramento Magazine: Amador’s Original Grand-père Vineyard Weekend, Boyle, C. (13 January 2022) https://www.sacmag.com/on-wine-1/amadors-original-grandpere-vineyard-weekend/
San Francisco Eater: California’s Sierra Foothills Remain a Land of Opportunity for Winemakers, Bicchieri, P. (26 May 2022) https://sf.eater.com/2022/5/26/23138542/california-sierra-foothills-ava-wine
Sierra Vintners: https://sierravintners.com/index.php
Signature Wines: D’Agostini: Historic Brand About to be Relaunched, Dunne, M. (4 March 2023) https://signaturewines.us/dagostini-historic-brand-about-to-be-relaunched/
Trinchero Family Estates: Montevina https://www.tfewines.com/our-brands/montevina/
Turley Cellars: Sadie Upton Vineyard Zinfandel https://www.turleywinecellars.com/vinesandwines/sadie-upton-vineyard-zinfandel
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): The Mother Lode System of California, Knopf, A. (1 January 1929) https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0157/report.pdf
Western Mining History: Amador County, California Mines https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-county/california/amador/
Glass in Session® Episodes Related to this Session:
S13E1: American Sparkling Wine https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-sparkling-wine-s13e1
S13E2: American Rosé: The Story of our Red White and Blush https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-ros-the-story-of-our-red-white-and-blush
Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session
Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.
Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)
Next Episode
Bourbon: The Distinctly American Spirit | S13E5
An exploration of bourbon’s origins, some crazy history bits, and the whiskey's standing as a uniquely American spirit.
This also is probably the most excited a podcast host has ever gotten about corn, so there’s that.
Resources from this episode:
Books:
Big Whiskey [Revised Edition], DeVito, C. (2021)
Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) Study Guide, Society of Wine Educators, Nickles, J. (2020)
The History of Bourbon [Audible Edition], Albala, K. (2019)
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails [Kindle Edition], Wondrich, D & Rothbaum, N., (2022)
Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide, Jackson, M. (2005)
The World Atlas of Whisky [2nd Edition], Broom, D. (2014)
Websites:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Code of Federal Regulations - Title 27, Subchapter A, Part 5, Subpart 5.143 - Whisky https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-5/subpart-I/section-5.143
Atlantic: America’s Lost Crops Rewrite the History of Farming, Laskow, S. (1 October 2022) https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/10/agricultural-revolution-is-wrong-corn-cultivation-lost-crops/671587/
Britannica: Corn (6 June 2023) https://www.britannica.com/plant/corn-plant
The Bourbon Review: The Taft Decision, Veach, M. Edison, B. (17 February 2014) https://www.gobourbon.com/the-taft-decision/
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS): Celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month This September, Quinn, M. (14 September 2020) https://www.distilledspirits.org/news/celebrate-national-bourbon-heritage-month-this-september/
Distillery Trail: Bottled in Bond Act Signed Into Law March 3, 1897 - The Law Explained by Fred Minnick & Bernie Lubbers [video], (3 March 2018) https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/bottled-in-bond-act-signed-into-law-march-3-1897-the-law-explained-by-fred-bernie-video/
Food and Wine: Which Type of Corn Makes the Best Whiskey? Kuta, S. (10 February 2020) https://www.foodandwine.com/news/the-perfect-corn-variety-for-whiskey-doesnt-exi
Grapes and Grains: Bourbon - a Symbol of American History and Culture, Morais, R. (28 April 2017) https://www.grapesandgrains.org/2017/04/bourbon-symbol-of-american-history-and-culture.html
History: The Whiskey Ring and America’s First Special Prosecutor, Pruitt, S., (Updated 1 June 2023) https://www.history.com/news/the-whiskey-ring-and-americas-first-special-prosecutor
Hoover Institution: The Colonial Roots of American Taxation, 1607 - 1700, Rabushka, A. (1 August 2002) https://www.hoover.org/research/colonial-roots-american-taxation-1607-1700
Liquor.com: What is Bourbon? A guide to America’s Original Whisky, Morgan, A. (20 March 2023) https://www.liquor.com/bourbon-whiskey-guide-7369244
Liquor Laboratory: Why is Bourbon Called Bourbon? The origins (2023 Updated), Martin, L. (8 May 2022) https://liquorlaboratory.com/why-is-bourbon-called-bourbon/#How_Bourbon_Got_Its_Name
Natural Agricultural Library (U.S. Department of Agriculture): Popcorn https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/popcorn/early-history
Salon: When it Comes to Making Bourbon, Why is Corn so Important?, Stevens, A. (24 August 2022) https://www.salon.com/2022/08/24/when-it-comes-to-making-bourbon-why-is-corn-so-important/
Science News: Corn Domestication Took Some Unexpected Twists and Turns, Bower, B. (13 December 2018) https://www.sciencenews...
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