Proprietary Labels
By definition, proprietary labels are owned by certain producers to distinguish a particular wine that they feel has consistent qualities year after year.
The use of Proprietary Wine Labels
The idea is to develop a name brand that is recognizable to consumers in the marketplace. Well known proprietary labels include Opus One, Insignia, and Meritage.
Wines labeled by a proprietary name are often blends of different varietals or grapes from different regions. This gives producers more flexibility in creating a balanced product. For instance, they do not have to worry about meeting the 75% requirement to label a wine Cabernet Sauvignon .
Proprietary names are generally trademarked and protected by the winery that created them. An interesting case is Meritage, a proprietary name that is not owned by a single winery. Founded in 1988, by about 30 wineries, the Meritage Association owns the name.
There are currently over 100 wineries that use the name on their labels. Meritage is a certain style of red and white wine produced in the United States that emulates some of the regulations in Bordeaux.
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