Merlot - About Wines from Wine Love
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About Wines - MerlotMerlotMerlot has soared in popularity in the 1990's, emerging from its humble origins as a blending wine for Cabernet Sauvignon and other French wines. It dominates the vineyard acreage in Bordeaux , except in the Médoc and Graves regions. Although French winemakers continue using it primarily for blending, it has exploded as a unique varietal throughout the world. In Italy it produces a light, simple table wine, and down under in New Zealand and Australia, it is used to make a lighter-style Cabernet-like wine. In California, Merlot has become a star in its own right. Possessing similar flavor components to Cabernet with strong currant and cherry flavors and firm tannins, it has nearly dominated the full-bodied red wine market. Many wineries are experimenting with Merlot, producing medium-bodied wines that are softer, suppler, and less tannic featuring herbal, cherry and chocolate flavors. Perhaps most popular are the very light, fruity, and soft wines that are slowly replacing White Zinfandel as America's "sweetheart wine." It's hard to believe that Merlot was once known as "the poor man's Cabernet." Merlot prices rival, and frequently exceed Cabernet Sauvignon, even when the Cabs are better! Merlot's aging potential is fair to good. It tends to soften with age, with fruit flavors fading to be replaced with more herbal flavors. Californian Merlot dates back only to the early 1970's. Like Pinot Noir, it is a difficult grape to grow well. Slight changes in climate and other conditions dramatically affect and ripening, resulting in uneven production. Washington State is the up-and-coming Merlot region, where cooler, more consistent climate gives an them an edge working with this grape. Merlot Selections: Rating 3 Rating 3.5 Rating 4 Rating 4.5
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