Jan. 13, 2010 - Issue #743: Broken Embraces

Veni, Vidi, Vino

Merlove

Merlot versus the movies

Merlot has been in the Bordeaux since 1784. It is the third-most planted grape on the globe, and is renowned for its red and black berry, plum fruit and in hotter climates fruit cake and chocolate characteristics which are all wrapped up with velvety tannins in a soft approachable style. That sounds pretty delicious; so, how can Merlot not be on everyone's to drink list?

Californian Merlot, particularly in the North American Press, in the past has been given a bad rap. Maybe for a good reason, as much of the California Merlot on the market in the past was mass-produced, inexpensive, mediocre wine made to meet high consumer demand. But times change and the California Merlot industry is currently flourishing, having recently been raved about in Wine Spectator which stated, "The high-end wines offer consumers richness and complexity, while the top values offer the trademark Merlot qualities of elegance and suppleness." Other New World wine regions offering up a price range of outstanding Merlot wines are Washington, Oregon, Chile and the Okanagan.

Contributing factors to making quality Merlot are soil type (clay), vine age and reducing how many grapes are grown per hectare. Merlot is an early ripening grape that acts as a bit of a chameleon in different climates. Consumers who love the ripe fruit and elegant mouth-feel of the warmer climate wines can sometimes be put off by the herbaceousness and higher astringency of cooler-climate Merlot. The fruity character also depends on when the wine maker decides to pick the grapes. As an early-ripening grape varietal, Merlot can be picked when just-ripe to retain more acidity which is beneficial for aging or picked a bit over-ripe to capture the more luscious fruit style.

Old World producers love this early-ripening grape as it softens the harsher tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon when blended. These blends are commonly known as Bordeaux blends and claimed by wine experts to produce some of the best wine in the world. In the Bordeaux wine region, the Merlot-based blended wines come mainly from the right bank vineyards along the Gironde Estuary. These wines come in a variety of styles, but are known for their black grapes and black fruit domination, which the name Merlot is derived from, meaning "young blackbird."

Merlot is well-known for its easiness, as a stand-alone and in combination with food. Juicy, jammy Merlot that is low in tannin can accompany hard-to-pair spicy dishes and appetizers, like bacon-wrapped scallops. And Merlot can be paired with any type of meat dish—pulled-pork tacos always comes to mind—pastas, anything of the sort.

So really, what is it about this varietal that makes certain people turn their nose up? We live in a fashion and pop-culture-influenced world and Merlot went through some varietal terrorization in the movie Sideways: "No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!" It's hard to imagine this movie actually affecting sales, but it did—Merlot sales decreased, Pinot Noir sales increased. To counteract Sideways was the 2009 release of Merlove: "The message of Merlove is that no single grape varietal should be singled out as superior or inferior to others." So spread some Merlove. V
 

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