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Merlot Red Wine
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a variety of wine grape used in the production of many popular red wines, merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of blackcurrant, plums
and berries.
Most consider it an easy wine to drink in comparison to its counterpart reds, Cabernet Sauvignon being in particular. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined the earlier ripening of its grape, makes Merlot ideal to blend with sterner, later-ripening grapes like Cabernet. Many Merlots are made in a style popular with newer red wine drinkers (though good Merlots accompanying appropriate food are popular with many more experienced wine drinkers as well).
The main producers of merlot are, France, California and Italy, on a lesser scale in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Switzerland, South Africa, Croatia, Slovenia, some parts of America. Most wines from the Bordeaux region contain some trace of Merlot, and in the regions of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion it is not unusual for Merlot to become a major part of the blend. One of the most famous and rare wines in the world, Château Pétrus is almost all Merlot.
The Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon grape are alike in many ways, merlot is lower in tannins and makes wines that mature faster and are softer in texture. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignonare often mixed together in order to soften the blend. A really good merlot can make a wine that is dry, rich in flavor and smooth as it finishes in your throa, and a not so good merlot, can make a wine that is dry but thin in taste and texture, hard to go down. But most varieties of what you would buy are pretty good.
Merlot is able to mature in regions that are cooler than those required for Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is a bit harder to grow because of the fact that it is open to many types of fungus and mold diseases (so even wines can get colds.....). Producing a merlot depending on a number of factors, 2 being location and climate. This variety was first known for its success in the Saint Emilion and Pomerol areas of Bordeaux. Chateau Petrus is the stellar example of fine Merlot.
Merlot usually has ripe berry components in the bouquet. Its wines tend to be fruity, soft and smooth in texture. There are a few varieties of Merlot that have a long life potential but the mojority are ready to drink in 4 to 8 years. Merlot is usually bottled in a Bordeaux (high shouldered) bottle.
Merlot should be served slightly below room temperature. When alcohol reaches 23 (C), it then has an unpleasant sharpness in the taste. Cooling the bottle for 15 or 20 minutes (but no longer) in a refrigerator can be a good way to reach the desired serving temperature.
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