What exactly does it mean to call something a \"proprietary wine\"? Does it mean anything to different to call it a \"proprietary blend\"?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
"Proprietary" is anything which is, in principle, unique or exclusive to the owner or user. You could say that the brand name itself is proprietary, but in the wine business the term usually applies to a secondary designation or fanciful name of some sort (but not a vineyard name). Examples include Concha Y Toro "Don Melchor", Barbi "Brusco dei Barbi", D'Arenberg "The Dead Arm", or Drouhin "Vero". Such names also tend to be protected by trademark like the brand name.
I suppose you could also call any unique blend of grapes or vineyards a "proprietary blend", and there are wineries who use that phrase. In fact, there are thousands of unique blends in the wine world if we consider the possible variations of grape varieties, percentages used in the blend, and vineyard sourcing.
