Merlot

Merlot

Merlot is the most popular and widely planted wine grape from the Bordeaux region of France. Around the world, it’s the fifth most planted wine grape and has also been known to make great wines in Tuscany, Switzerland, Australia, Argentina, as well as in America. Merlot has essentially been a blending partner with Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1990, Merlot was the 7th most popular grape and by 2010, and then went to second place as the world’s most widely planted grape. Merlot still continues to gain popularity as a grape for wine. Merlot is a favorite red wine of American consumers because it is less intense then Cabernet Sauvignon and also mellow and easy to drink. Merlot is so popular because of the grape’s ability to please all palates. It has contains accents of lighter fruits such as plumbs, and red berries.

Bordeaux is one of the major wine producing regions in France. A wine spoken of as “Bordeaux” means a red wine from Bordeaux. Nearly all red Bordeaux wines are made by blending the grapes which are usually Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet. Most Merlot wines come from the 'right bank' area in Bordeaux. Right bank producers are on the northern or 'right bank' of the rivers in the region. Soils on this side of the river banks are perfect to grow high quality Merlot wine.

Merlot is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and is a grape that has expanded throughout the world in the last decade. Its popularity in the US increased in the early 1990s but California wineries were having a hard time keeping up with demand because it was not a widely grown grape in California. While California struggled with quantity, they also began a struggle with quality. The California Merlot vineyards were hit with phylloxera in the mid-1990s. Phylloxera is an insect that destroys grape vines. It attaches itself to the roots of the vine, eats away at them and destroys them to a point where they can no longer soak up water and nutrients from the soil. It is a very...