Enjoy red Meritage wines with dishes that pair well with Bordeaux wines, including braised lamb, pork belly, beef cheeks, or slow-cooked, sous vide ribeye.Learn more about Australian wine’s vast varietal range with Wine Selectors From the rich, plummy flavours of full-bodied Shiraz to the refined citrusy elegance of Semillon, the plush seductiveness of Pinot Noir or the zippy, refreshing acidity of Pinot Grigio, Australian wine consists of a vast range of varieties, types and styles – each with their own subtleties to explore. Red Meritage wines can also include no more than 90% of any one variety. For red wines to be classified as a Meritage, the grape blend must contain only cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, carmenère, or the relatively obscure varieties of Saint-Macaire and Gros Verdot. The Meritage Alliance is dominated by New World members mainly from California but includes international makers from Argentina, Mexico, Australia, and Canada. With the label, premium quality blends of white and red noble varieties denoted higher prestige and the finest wines of the vintage, particularly the red blends from Napa Valley. The name is a blend of words: 'merit' to indicate quality and 'heritage,' referring to the historic art of blending. Leading Portuguese winemakers, like Symington and Esporao, are crafting high-quality, affordable table wines that are powerful and have an easy-drinking, balanced style.Įnter the Meritage Alliance: The Alliance began in the United States in 1988, known then as the Meritage Association, when producers sought a way to discern their New World wine blends. Wine Enthusiast shares that in the past these wines left much to be desired however, when Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, investment from the EU brought about essential improvements and modern technology to vineyards and wineries - white Vinho Verde has famously benefited from a modern update. The site says varieties commonly included in the Portuguese field blend are heat resistant and adapt well to little rainfall and extreme daytime temperatures.Īlthough Portugal's field blend is often best associated with fortified port wines, the blends meld harmoniously as dry Portuguese table wines. Wine-Searcher reports the effects of global warming in wine-producing regions means thick-skinned, high-tannin, and warm weather varieties that might have been obscure in the past could become the standard vines in the future. Bodega Garzon's Reserva Tannat has landed on Wine Enthusiast's top 100 wines of the year multiple times. If you haven't tried tannat and want to start with a good one, we love Bodega Garzon - and we're not the only ones. The Grape Collective adds tannat has high levels of antioxidants, including polyphenols, procyanidins, flavenoids, and resveratrol, thanks to the number of seeds grown within tannat grapes most grapes have two or three seeds, but tannat has five.

In addition to its powerful flavor profile, tannat may be one of the healthiest red wines available. Chile's old vine tannat produces wines that have bold tannin with racy acidity, dense concentration and structure, and a rustic yet finessed Old World style.

However, Uruguayan tannat is unlike other versions worldwide, in part, because cuttings came from vines from the Basque country arrived before the phylloxera louse wiped out much of Europe's vineyards throughout the 1800s (via Vinepair). Tannat is the signature variety of wine grape for Uruguay, where vintners first planted tannat vines in the 1870s.

Most popular red wine types