Bordeaux
Blend
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A Bordeaux Blend is a blended
red wine that contains only those varieties that are authorized
for use in the red wines of the Bordeaux
region of France. The six varieties are: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot,
Cabernet
Franc, Petit
Verdot, Malbec
and Carmenere.
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In the United States, wines labeled
as 'Meritage' are included in this category. There are
many other Bordeaux Blend wines that are not labeled 'Meritage'
since a winery must join the Meritage Society (which means paying
them money) in order to use the Meritage term on thier label.
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Wines that are Bordeaux Blends are usually of good to excellent
quality and may be the best wine that a winery produces. In
most countries, the regulations regarding wine labels only classify
these wines as "Red Table Wine" since there is often
not enough of a single grape variety to allow the wine to have
Varietal
labeling. This means that the winery has to somehow
show the consumer that thier bottle of red wine selling for
$50+ per bottle is really different from some generic red wine
that is selling for less than $10. Both are classified as "Red
Table Wine".
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A typical Bordeaux Blend will have either Cabernet Sauvignon
or Merlot as the primary grape but the other grapes will make
up from 15% to 50% of the blend. Very few Bordeaux Blends use
all six of the allowed grape varieties. The use of three or
four varieties is much more common.
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