Merlot: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try

Merlot is back, and it’s better than ever. After a brief downtick in popularity in the early 2000s (thanks in large part to the film “Sideways”), most consumers have finally experienced their long-awaited revelation with the grape. And rightfully so: This fruit has the capacity to make some seriously delicious wine. 

Whether your tastes run more to fleshy fruit-driven cuvées from New World regions or to restrained earth-driven blends from Europe, there’s really nothing that merlot can’t do. Couple that with the fact that it’s a crowd-pleasing and food-friendly wine, available at an array of price points, and we can’t think of a reason not to fall back in love with this versatile variety. 

Merlot is a blue-skinned red grape variety used to produce both monovarietal (single grape) wines and blends. The grape is known for producing soft and fleshy wines with medium levels of acid and soft, silky tannins. 

The word “merlot” is derived from the French world “merle,” which means blackbird. Some believe that this name is in reference to the dark hue of the grape’s skin, while others argue that it’s due to the heavy presence of said blackbirds that regularly swoop down and eat the fruit from the vines. Merlot is an offspring variety of cabernet franc, which also makes it a sibling to carménère and cabernet sauvignon. 

Merlot has its roots in France’s Bordeaux region, though the grape is cultivated all over the globe. Along with cabernet sauvignon, merlot is one of the most widely planted red grape varieties in the world. 

It’s vinified in a variety of styles, and its final flavor profile depends on whether it’s vinified varietally or in a blend, where it comes from, and the vinification techniques imparted on it. 

Most winemakers tend to use some form of new or used wood during merlot vinification, although steel-vinified expressions do exist. 

Like many grape varieties, merlot tends to show two different sides of itself depending on where it's vinified. In New World regions, merlot-based wines tend to be plusher, fuller-bodied and loaded with flavors of juicy plums, blackberry compote and sweet spice. New World merlot is usually marked by higher levels of alcohol and velvety, approachable tannins.

In Old World regions (specifically Bordeaux’s Right Bank), merlot usually shows a more vegetal side, as the fruit usually is harvested earlier. Flavors are dominated by red fruits (raspberry, strawberry and red currants) and earth. Acid, tannins and alcohol levels tend to be relatively moderate. 

Merlot is basically the Goldilocks of red wine in that no matter what you’re looking for, the juice is generally just right. Equal parts fruit-forward and earth-driven and balanced by moderate tannins and acidity, merlot is one of the most food-friendly red wines on the market. In addition to roast chicken, steak and hamburgers on the grill, the wine also comes to life when sipped alongside pizza, red pasta sauces, short ribs and bean-based dishes. Simple cheese and charcuterie boards will also do the trick. 

These are the six bottles to try.