Yes, I drink Merlot...

The movie Sideways was an instant success and there were a lot memorable sights and quotations in it that will stay with us for quite some time. One of them was from Paul Giamatti's character who said: "If you order Merlot, I'm leaving. I'm not going to drink any fucking Merlot!" Not many would have thought that one line in a movie would have created such a buzz. Merlot sales dropped sharply after that--although they are up again. So, this begs the question: is Merlot really such a mediocre wine to deserve this? Before we answer this question, let's go back a couple of decades...

When you visit a wine bar these days, you may think that wine has

been very popular for a very long time. The US love affair with wines, however, isn't older than a generation--early to mid eighties. And for a long time, white wines--mostly Chablis--sold by the glass were popular. Eventually, they were replaced with Chardonnay and Merlot. Now, there is nothing wrong with these two wines--it happens that I really like both of them! But the "Cab"--translation: Cabernet Sauvignon--became the drink of the hip wine drinkers and Merlot was...well, not IN. Paul Diammati in Sideways confirmed that and that was it. I am here to argue against that perception and to say, without fear of being ostracized by the "oenophiles" of the wine bars, that I really like Merlot!

Merlot or Merlot Noir is very popular world wide and competes only with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most planted dark-skinned grape variety overall. In Bordeaux and in France overall, Merlot is decisively the m

ost planted red wine and it plays the role of constant companion to the austere, aristocratic, long-living Cabernet Sauvignon--its most probable half brother--which helps to explain the reason why Merlot-dominant red bordeaux can taste so like Cabernet-dominant red bordeaux. Its early maturing, plump, lush fruitiness provides a needed compliment to Cabernet. What distinguishes Merlot from other wines, especially Cabernet, is its "smooth" character-- a drawback to some, an advantage to others. It's a wine that promotes texture over flavor.

One of my favorite blends, and one that is popular in the newly planted vineyards in my village in Greece, is Cabernet-Merlot-Shirah. All three varietals do well in its cool, well ventilated slopes and can be harvested almost at the same time. I am fortunate to have a relatively large selection of these wines--vintages from 2003 to 2009--which are maturing very well.