17 Responses

1. June 1, 2006

   Kevin C

   Hi Gary, Glad to see you’re back.

   Loved the episode as usual and will definitely look into picking up one of these in the near future.

   A quick question. Does “meritage” have any specific varietals that make it up or does it just mean Bordeaux-style wine not from France?

2. June 2, 2006

   Steve

   Kevin, see http://www.meritagewine.org for information on meritage blends. For reds, it can be 2 or more of the following varieties with no single variety making up more than 90% of the blend : Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot, and Carmenere. For whites, it can be Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Vert. Again nothing more than 90%. I’m not affiliated with the association, just a fan of meritages.

3. June 2, 2006

   John

   Hey Kevin,

   I’m sure Gary will answer this, as well, but their are no specific varietals, but it generally a Meritagte is the New World name for the combination of 2 or more of the following: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec( the Bordeaux varietals )……………and sometimes you can even find them with Syrah, Mourvedre, Tempranillo, Carignan, Garnacha ( Grenache ), Sangiovese, or Nebbiolo in the mix, as well. It was just a name that California winemakers came up with to make their wines sound a little more fancy.

4. June 2, 2006

   Marc

   Great to have you back Gary! No worries on the missed episodes.
   I really look forward to the upcoming Spain show.

5. June 3, 2006

   GeneV

   Kevin, Red Meritage (pronounced like “heritage”) can be made of 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. See http://www.meritagewine.org.

   Gary, I ordered some of the Merlot, and I am interested to see how it compares to a decent Pomerol. As you know, you can actually buy an 88-90pt Pomerol (obviously not Petrus, Le Pin or Trotanoy) for not that much more than this price.

6. June 5, 2006

   Sam Zen

   Welcome back! Look forward to the Spanish segments. Is it true that ‘05 in Spain was as fabulous as in France?

7. June 5, 2006

   garyv

   Sam yes the 05’s look amazing but the 04’s were showing so well it was stunning!

8. June 7, 2006

   GeneV

   The Maghie Merlot is thoroughly enjoyable and, you are right, I would have picked it in a blind tasting as coming from the right bank rather than Washington. Nice stuff, though I think you can still get some Cru Bourgeois from ‘00 for a better QPR.

9. June 13, 2006

   chito

   Gary, great info. Just saw the Spain episode. Exceptional!!! Had to e-mail the episode to my wife who is a fan of Spanish guitar. Keep up the great work. I never knew that getting educated was so much fun.

10. September 25, 2006

    Brandon M

    Gary…I never heard of Woodhouse before this episode.

    Steve…that is a fantastic link, one that goes into my favorites for others to see when they ask…thanks!

    B

11. January 30, 2007

    Joel Bombardier

    I am glad that you decited to do an episode focusing on Washington Wines. While I am biased, beause I am from Seattle, I KNOW that Washington produces some fine (and I mean like fiiine) wines.

    I am sure you are packed with plans when you come back, but I for one would really love, and appreciate, an episode focusing on Washington wines. You could consiter focusing on a region (like Walla Walla) or doing a hodge-podge of fines from around the state (dont forget deLille). Well, good luck, I hope you get this, and send some love over to your fans in the North West.

    cheers,
    Joel

    ps. I am sipping a Walla Walla Vinters cuvee right now, and its amazing.

12. March 29, 2007

    KAHUNA

    So- how is that taping things to have on file going?

13. June 12, 2007

    David Canada

    I have gotta explore Washington…need to get to the states though to do it.

14. August 31, 2007

    WA Ambassador

    Go Washington Wines!!! Have you tasted many wines from the Red Mountains in WA? They have some excellent varieties there. The grapes love that area. I don’t know of a specific label off hand, but I can dig one up for you and share it with you.

15. February 9, 2008

    The Fanjestic

    Can you imagine if you were gone that long now?

16. July 9, 2008

    Dan Leavy

    word 46 “NJ,”

17. July 19, 2008

    Jean Rabe

    Would love to see review of Preston Wines from Washington State and Alice White Lexia (which seems to be a local favorite). Years ago we could buy Preston in the supermarkets in Washington.

    jean in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

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