Nationwide Search On : Wineries Want to Cultivate Separate Identity for Blends

Three dozen California wineries are banding together to seek a name for blended premium wine in hopes of solving a unique marketing problem: how to tell people what’s in the bottle.

Calling itself the Assn. in Search of a Name, the group of wineries will announce today a nationwide search for a name for the wines they now call by proprietary designations. First and only prize--a 10-year collection of all the members’ top wines, which a spokesman for the group estimated would total about 40 cases.

“Until now there has been no way to designate wines made from the blends of the classic Bordeaux varieties that do not meet the requirements for varietal labeling in a way that really addresses the quality in the bottle,” said Rick Theis, executive secretary of the group.

Varietal wines, named after the grape varieties such as Chardonnay or Zinfandel, have been considered the highest quality made in the state, but about 14 years ago some wineries began to make an even higher-quality wine by judicious blending of two or more varieties. Because the federal government requires that a varietal wine have at least 75% of the grape named on the label, they coined proprietary names.

‘Universal Proprietary’ Name

The first of these special proprietary wines was Joseph Phelps’ Insignia; today the most famous is Opus One, the joint project of Robert Mondavi and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. But at least a dozen others have sprung up in recent years, leading to confusion for the public.

“They could have called the wine a ‘red wine’ but that doesn’t indicate the high quality,” Theis said. He also pointed out that on restaurant wine lists, wines like Opus One and Insignia are listed under the Cabernet Sauvignon category, but they are not Cabernet Sauvignons. “The new category we are creating will solve that problem.”

He said that, a century ago, “claret” might have been a suitable term to define the red wines, “but unfortunately today the term has no meaning because it’s been widely used to name wine made from a blend of any varieties, sometimes not very good. So this association is setting up standards to protect the designation and give it meaning.”

The association will first settle on a “universal proprietary” name and then permit the use of that name only for wines that meet the requirements of the association--”to protect the integrity of the wines that carry the association’s certification mark.” In a way, it is similar to the Chianti Classic Wine Consortium in Italy that offers its 33 members a “black rooster” seal for use on bottles, an indication of membership and quality.

Theis said a logo and seal for the association will be created after a name has been selected.

To carry the new mark, a wine must be blended entirely from Bordeaux grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and others). A white wine blended from Bordeaux varieties also may qualify for certification. The white Bordeaux varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle.

Also, the group requires that the wine be “top of the line” of its type, unless the winery also produces a special vineyard-designated or estate-bottled wine. A wine seeking to use the designation must be produced and bottled by the winery, and the certification will not be granted to any wine of which there is more than 25,000 cases in a single year.

Another requirement is that in all promotion and advertising, members agree to state the appellation from which the wine came.

Among the wineries backing the association are Beringer, Phelps, Vichon, Zaca Mesa, Sterling, Rombauer, Flora Springs, Hess Collection, Merlion, Meridian, Merryvale, Lyeth and Dominus. Others are expected to join shortly, Theis said.

Augustin Huneeus, president of Franciscan Vineyards and one of the organizers of the association, said this was a major step for unifying disparate wine forces and rallying behind a vital goal. “For the first time, the industry is dedicated to solving its own problems without requiring the federal government to impose on us an artificial standard,” Huneeus said.

He pointed out that “until now we have been defining ‘proprietary’ to describe one winery’s product. What we’re seeking is a category that defines a wine type that is destined to become the most important from a quality standpoint for many wineries.”

He said once a name for the category is chosen, it will help all wineries, including those whose proprietary wines already are singled out in the public’s view as superb. Among those are Insignia, Opus One, Dominus, Trilogy of Flora Springs, Le Meilleur du Chai of Rombauer, Reserve Alexander of Geyser Peak and many others.