Melissa Priestley

I Will Drink Some Fucking Merlot | So there, Miles. You whiny little bastard.

I really wanted to write this article without making any cheesy allusions to Sideways. Everyone knows Merlot got fabulously panned by Paul Giamatti’s character Miles, after which sales of Merlot fell dramatically while those of Pinot Noir skyrocketed — supposedly. Personally, I didn’t see any evidence of this, though if the phenomenon did happen, it was probably localized in California; they are such slaves to Hollywood.

But the Sideways references kept creeping in there anyway — so I decided to get it over with right off the top. So there. Sideways. “I’m not drinking any fucking Merlot.” Now let’s get on with it.

Merlot has been heralded as the Chardonnay of red wine, given its ubiquity as the standard house red; it is the yin to Chardonnay’s yang. And like Chard, Merlot can be spectacular, but more often it’s mediocre and uninspired — easily drunk and easily forgotten (just like your grad date).

Yet Merlot’s bad reputation does not apply to all examples of the grape. In France it finds expression as a very different creature from the vaguely fruity plonk we North Americans associate with the variety; French Merlot can be fruit-forward, but is rarely a fruit-bomb. It typically has flavours of plums, blueberries, and blackberries along with mineral characters, high acidity, and its signature velvety, plush texture.

Merlot finds its most famous incarnation as the dominant variety of “Right Bank” Bordeaux (so named because of its location on the right side of the Gironde River; Left Bank Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon). The Right Bank is composed of the regions of St. Émilion and Pomerol; if you see these names on a label you know that the wine is predominantly Merlot-based — with the average blend composed of 70 per cent Merlot and 30 per cent Cabernet (Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc, and occasionally some minor varieties like Petit Verdot and Malbec).

Cabernet is a natural partner to Merlot; being naturally quite tannic, Cab contributes structure and body while tempering Merlot’s fruitiness. In contrast, Merlot’s plump texture softens Cab’s astringent tannins, enhancing the wine’s approachability in youth. Wine producers worldwide have adopted the Bordelaise practices of blending Cab into their Merlot — in addition to France, look for tasty Bordeaux-style blends from South Africa and Australia (especially the cooler Aussie regions like Coonawarra).

And as for the New World fruit-bomb style of Merlot: they aren’t all bad. Hell, sometimes you want a wine that’s all about the fruit and little else ­— how many of us actually sit around evaluating every sip of every wine? Indeed, though it is fashionable to scoff at its common status, Merlot is the perfect grape for our impatient, instant-gratification-seeking times.

California makes oodles of Merlot that falls into the turbo-fruit category, and while some of it will certainly bore you, most is decent and basically enjoyable. Merlot ripens very easily in California’s hot climate and requires judicious vineyard management to harvest the grapes at proper ripeness — even an extra day of sun can cause the grapes to lose all their refreshing acidity. In addition, after the 1990s Merlot boom (caused by Cabernet-soaked west coasters shifting their focus) the quality of many Merlots plummeted as crooked winemakers over-irrigated their crops to produce high quantities of watery, bastardized Merlot. Yet with a little research you can certainly find good Californian Merlot, made by people who care about good wine – not the bottom line.

Chile also holds Merlot in a fairly important position. A few years ago too much Chilean Merlot was made from underripe grapes and the wines were lean and green — way too much like chomping on bell peppers. However, as with all Chilean wines, quality is improving in leaps and bounds and a good Chilean Merlot is not hard to come by — and for a reasonable price, to boot.

When shopping for your next bottle of Merlot, keep in mind that not all New World Merlots are fruit-bombs, nor are all Old World Merlots made in the traditional style — many Old Word producers go for “international-style” wines (i.e., super-fruity), while, somewhat ironically, numerous New World producers have followed the French lead with more restrained versions.

While Merlot can certainly pair with a wide array of foods, it’s one of those grapes that’s often just fine on its own; its velvety texture and light tannins make it easy to sip anytime, rain or shine. Plus the really fruity Merlots are harder to pair with food, as the fruit generally overpowers and/or obliterates most dishes. That said, you may have some luck pairing them with strong cheeses (try blue cheese, especially if the wine has a hint of sweetness), as well as dishes with sweet and savoury flavours, like barbecued chicken wings.

It’s easier to pair food with the Old World style of Merlot, as the fruit is not overwhelming and the wines have higher acidity. Try matching these versions with chicken, pork, or lightly seasoned beef dishes. In addition, Merlot-Cabernet blends (especially Bordeaux) can stand up to hearty dishes thanks to the Cab component — think beef and lamb, especially roasted in the oven or in a stew. One more thing to keep in mind is Merlot’s lush texture — try to match that silkiness with the food; eggplant-based dishes and even chocolate are examples of smoothly-textured foods that complement the texture of the wine.