Inspired by Bordeaux: The long history of Virginia’s Meritage blends

When consumers step into a Virginia winery, the array of options can be overwhelming. Tastings often feature around six wines, typically three white and three red, usually including a few favoured varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

However, unlike most established American wine regions, Virginia hasn’t yet settled on a flagship grape that serves as its signature.

But, maybe, it doesn’t need one.

This is because, in most of these tastings, the experience will culminate with a red blend. Many of these are ‘Meritage‘ blends, a term coined in the United States for wines made using Bordeaux’s ‘noble grapes.’

These blends have become a true calling card for Virginia, a testament to both the unique vineyard conditions and the winemaker’s ability to answer every challenge vintage to vintage.

Scroll down for the best examples of contemporary Virginia Meritage

Why Blending Works in Virginia

Virginia’s viticulture is unique in a couple of important ways. Firstly, its climate is moderate, humid, and subtropical.

This means it can experience warmer temperatures than classic European regions, especially during summer, and generally receives more rainfall than top US wine-growing areas along the West Coast.

Vintages here can vary dramatically year-to-year. For instance, the 2023 and 2024 vintages were relatively dry and warm, yielding some of the best wines in recent history.

In contrast, 2022 saw significant challenges from powdery mildew, the threat of Hurricane Ian and spotted lantern flies, while 2021 contended with damaging spring frosts and downy mildew.

One might assume the pandemic was the primary issue in 2020, but a remarkable 13 hurricane events made that year even more challenging for grape growers. This variability underscores the necessity of blending to achieve consistent quality.

Secondly, Virginia’s focus on European-style blends is deeply rooted in its history.

A Bit of Wine History

While Virginia has emerged as a significant player in American wine over the past 30 years, viticulture here dates back to before the country’s founding.

As many may know, America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, harboured ambitions to establish Virginia as a premier wine-producing region after his travels in France.

He even enlisted Italian winemaker Philip Mazzei to cultivate European grapes and form Virginia’s first wine company.

Although the American Revolution literally trampled this early experiment (in 1778 many of the vines were reportedly destroyed by horses running amok), the historic site where it all began is now home to Jefferson Vineyards.

This early aspiration to emulate Bordeaux remains an important influence.

Commitment to quality

Today, these red blends are a signature of Virginia’s world-class wines. The state’s commitment to quality is evident in annual competitions like the Virginia Governor’s Cup, a statewide competition.

Blind-tasted by a judging panel, gold medal-winning wines are eligible for the prestigious Governor’s Cup Case, with the top-scoring wine being the overall winner.

This year, out of 155 gold medalists, 89 were red wines, nearly 60%. Of those, 42 were blends, with 22 formally designated as Meritage blends.

At Decanter‘s most recent World Wine Awards, nine wines from Virginia received accolades. Seven of them were red wines, and four of those were blends.

While white wines are increasingly building a strong reputation in the state, these red blends consistently stand out as the category through which Virginia truly makes its name.

What’s Ahead for Virginia Red Blends

Though Virginia doesn’t claim a single signature grape, it has successfully cultivated a distinct identity through the Meritage blend.

These wines expertly leverage the state’s warm, humid summers and its long, if sometimes challenging, winemaking history.

At their best, these blends demonstrate a clear path to producing consistent, world-class wines in Virginia, year after year.

Virginia Meritage: 10 wines to find

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