Merlot grapes on the vine.

Merlot ('MERL-oh' in British English, mer-LOH in American English and standard French) is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. Merlot-based wines usually have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot an ideal grape to blend with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. This flexibility has helped to make it one of the most popular red wine varietals in the United States^[1] and Chile. Merlot can refer to: the Merlot wine or wine grape the XML editor named Merlot the Merlot online community, an online education technology project sponsored by the California State University System This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 487 KB) Photo by Ollylain File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 487 KB) Photo by Ollylain File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... This article is about the fruits of the genus Vitis. ... Varietal describes wines made from a single named grape variety. ... This article is about the fruit. ... Species See text. ... A Zante currant is a variety of small, sweet, seedless grape named for the Ionian island Zakynthos. ... Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the worlds most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. ...

Origins and genetics

Merlot leaf.

The earliest recorded mention of Merlot was in the notes of a local Bordeaux official who in 1784 labeled wine made from the grape in the Libournais region as one of the area's best. The name comes from the French regional patois word "merlot", which means "young blackbird" ("merle" is the French word for several kinds of thrushes, including blackbirds); the naming came either because of the grape's beautiful dark-blue color, or due to blackbirds' fondness for grapes. By the 19th century it was being regularly planted in the Médoc on the "Left Bank" of the Gironde. ^[2] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 658 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (763 × 695 pixel, file size: 127 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Merlot leaf from Hedges vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. Taken on Sunday, June 10th 2007 with a kodak z650 I, the copyright holder of this... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 658 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (763 × 695 pixel, file size: 127 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Merlot leaf from Hedges vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. Taken on Sunday, June 10th 2007 with a kodak z650 I, the copyright holder of this... The Bordelais is a pays of Aquitaine in France, the region surrounding the city of Bordeaux. ... Patois, although without a formal definition in linguistics, can be used to describe a language considered as nonstandard. ... For other uses, see Blackbird (disambiguation). ... Genera Some 20, see text Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Turdidae The Thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. ... The Médoc is one of the most famous of the French wine-growing regions, consisting of the region in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. ... Gironde (Occitan: Gironda) is a common name for the Gironde Estuary - sound where merge the mouths of the Garonne river and of the Dordogne river - and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France. ...

It was first recorded in Italy around Venice under the synonym Bordò in 1855. The grape was introduced to the Swiss, from Bordeaux, sometime in the 19th century and was recorded in the Swiss canton of Ticino between 1905 and 1910. ^[2] For other uses, see Venice (disambiguation). ... A canton is a territorial subdivision of a country, e. ... For the river, see Ticino river. ...

Researchers at University of California, Davis believe that the grape is an offspring of Cabernet Franc and is a sibling of Carménère. ^[2] The University of California, Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, and was established as the University Farm in 1905. ... Cabernet Franc is a red wine grape variety similar to and a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. ... The Carménère grape is a wine grape variety originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used to produce deep red wines and occasionally used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot. ...

Until 1993, the Chilean wine industry mistakenly sold a large quantity of wine made from the Carmenere grape as Merlot. In that year, genetic studies discovered that much of what had been grown as Merlot was actually Carmenere, an old French variety that had gone largely extinct in France due to its poor resistance to phylloxera, which as of 2006 does not exist in Chile. Grape Phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, family Phylloxeridae, superfamily Aphidoidea) is a serious pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. ...

The labeling Chilean Merlot is a catch-all to include wine that is made from a blend of indiscriminate amounts of Merlot and Carmenere. With Merlot ripening 3 weeks earlier than Carmenere, these wines differ greatly in quality depending on harvesting.^[3]

History

After a series of setbacks that includes a severe frost in 1956 and several vintages in the 1960s lost to rot, French authorities in Bordeaux banned new plantings of Merlot vines between 1970 and 1975. ^[4]

In Merlot early history with California wine, the grape was used primarily as a 100% varietal wine until wine maker Warren Winiarski encouraged taking the grape back to its blending roots with Bordeaux style blends. ^[5] California wine has a long and continuing history, and in recent decades has become recognized producing some of the worlds finest wine, matching the produce of the classic winemaking regions of France and, in some wine competitions, such as the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, surpassing it. ... Warren Winiarski (born 1928) is California winemaker. ...

A mutant that produces white grapes has been found, and white wine is made from this mutant by Beringer in California and Skalli in France.^[6] It has nothing to do with the rosé wine made from red Merlot that is sometimes sold as "White Merlot".

Major regions

Merlot is produced primarily in France (where it is the third most planted red grape),^[7] Italy (where it is the country's 5th most planted grape)^[8] and California, Romania and on a lesser scale in Australia, Argentina, Canada's Niagara Peninsula, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Slovenia, and other parts of the United States such as Washington and Long Island. It grows in many regions that also grow Cabernet Sauvignon but tends to be cultivated in the cooler portions of those areas. In areas that are too warm, Merlot will ripen too early. ^[2] This article is about the U.S state. ... Map of Southern Ontario showing Niagara Peninsula in red The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Ontario, Canada lying on the south shore of Lake Ontario. ... This article is about the country in Europe. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... This article is about the island in New York State. ...

In the traditional Bordeaux blend, Merlot's role is to add body and softness. Despite accounting for 50-60% of overall plantings in Bordeaux, the grape tends to account for an average of 25% of the blends-especially in the Graves and Médoc. However, in the regions of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion it is not unusual for Merlot to comprise the majority of the blend. ^[7] One of the most famous and rare wines in the world, Château Pétrus, is almost all Merlot. For other uses, see Bordeaux (disambiguation). ... This article is about the wine region of Bordeaux. ... The Médoc is one of the most famous of the French wine-growing regions, consisting of the region in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. ... Pomerol is a village and wine growing region (AOC) in France. ... Saint-Émilion is a small town near Bordeaux, France that is famous for the eponymous wine region that surrounds it. ... Pétrus is a wine of the Pomerol wine region in Bordeaux. ...

In Italy, the Merlot grape is often blended with Sangiovese to give the wine a similar softening effect as the Bordeaux blends. ^[8] The Strada del Merlot is a popular tourist route through Merlot wine countries along the Isonzo river. ^[4] // Sangiovese is a red wine grape variety originating in Italy whose name derives from sanguis Jovis, the blood of Jove. It is most famous as the main component of the Chianti blend in Tuscany, but winemakers outside Italy are starting to experiment with it. ... The river Soča (Italian Isonzo) is a river in West Slovenia and North Italy. ...

In Hungary, Merlot complements Kékfrankos, Kékoportó and Kadarka as a component in Bull's Blood. It is also made into varietal wine known as Egri Médoc Noir which is noted for its balanced acid levels and sweet taste. ^[9] Blaufränkisch is the official name for the variety of wine grape that is used to produce dry, red wines which are typically low in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character. ... Blauer Portugieser is a German name of the old, red wine grape varietal known also as: Autrichien, Badener, Blaue Feslauertraube, Feslauer, Kékoporto (Hungary), Portugizac Plavi(Croatia), Modra Porotugalka (Slovenia), Oporto, Portugais Bleu (France), Portugieser and Vöslauer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Egri Bikavér (Bulls Blood from Eger) is one of the most reputed and traditional Hungarian wines besides the Tokaji wines. ...

Viticulture

Merlot grapes are identified by their loose bunches of large berries. The color has less of a blue/black hue than Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and with a thinner skin, the grapes also have fewer tannins. Also compared to Cabernet, a Merlot grape tends to have higher sugar content and lower malic acid. ^[10] Tannins are astringent, bitter-tasting plant polyphenols that bind and precipitate proteins. ... Malate redirects here. ...

Merlot thrives in cold soil, particularly ferrous clay. The vine tends to bud early which gives it some risk to cold frost and its thin skin increases its susceptibility to rot. It normally ripens up to two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. Water stress is important to the vine with it thriving in well drained soil more so than at base of a slope. ^[11]

Pruning is a major component to the quality of the wine that is produced. Wine consultant Michel Rolland is a major proponent for reducing the yields of Merlot grapes to improve quality. ^[12] The age of the vine is also important, with older vines contributing character to the resulting wine. ^[10] In microeconomics, pruning taken as a metaphor from gardening, refers to the removal of excess items from a budget. ... Michel Rolland (born December 24th, 1947 in Libourne, France) is an influential Bordeaux-based oenologist, with hundreds of clients across 13 countries and influencing wine style around the world. ...

A characteristic of the Merlot grape is the propensity to quickly over ripen once it hits its initial ripeness level, sometimes in a matter of a few days. There are two schools of thought on the right time to harvest Merlot. The wine makers of Château Pétrus favor early picking to best maintain the wine's acidity and finesse as well as its potential for aging. Others, such as Rolland, favor late picking and the added fruit body that comes with a little bit of over-ripeness. ^[12]

White Merlot

White Merlot is made the same way as its more famous cousin, White Zinfandel. The grapes are crushed, and after very brief skin contact, the resulting pink juice is run off the must to then be fermented. Some producers of White Merlot include Sutter Home Winery, Forest Glen, and Beringer. It normally has a hint of raspberry. White Merlot was reputedly first marketed in the late 1990s, and should not be confused with wines made from the white mutant of the grape. White Zinfandel, often abbreviated to White Zin, is an off–dry to sweet rosé wine that is pink in color. ... For must meaning compulsion, see wikt:must. ...

In Switzerland, a type of White Merlot is made but is often considered more a rosé. ^[8] For the song by The Feeling, see Rosé (song). ...

Merlot is sometimes referred to as "Merlot Noir" to distinguish it from "Merlot Blanc" an unrelated white wine grape.^[13]

In popular culture

• Merlot was mocked by the main character in the film Sideways who prefers to drink Pinot Noir instead, which may have played a role in a concurrent slowing of Merlot sales.^[14]

Sideways is a 2004 Academy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning comedy/drama film, co-written and directed by Alexander Payne. ... Pinot noir (pi no nwar) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. ...

References