I DRINK MERLOT & MILES WAS WRONG!
Yes I drink
Merlot! There I said it! I Drink Merlot and I like it!! Why not it’s a great
wine. In fact it’s the world’s most popular red wine, but you’d never know it if
you asked the “wine experts.”
In the movie Sideways,
Jack tells Miles that “if they want to drink Merlot we’re drinking Merlot.” Miles
responded with “if anybody orders Merlot I’m leaving! I am not drinking any
#@*^ Merlot!” And that pretty well sums up the view of Merlot.
So how did Merlot come to the lowly
state of most popular red wine that no one admits to drinking?
.jpg)
Well I think
its popularity caused the problem. It’s one of the most prominent grapes in the
French Bordeaux region and when wine started taking off here in the US every
American winery thought they needed a Merlot to match the French Bordeaux.
Unfortunately that meant a lot of very
bad and mediocre Merlots were made. Many still are but that’s improving.
.jpg)
Merlots are deep
color, red fruit wines that have flavors of cherry, blackberry, plum and
currants. They can also have the flavor
of chocolate and mocha with the suggestion of coffee or tea. And when aged in
oak they have a hint of cedar or toasted oak.
Merlots can be very full bodied with
tannins. I really like these because they assume a lot of the characteristics
of a Cabernet and go very well with a good steak.
Gale however
always finds these Merlots confusing because they don’t taste like the Merlots
most good wineries are making. She likes her wines to stay in character. And
for Merlots that’s fruit forward, soft and friendly. And when made right, these
wines are perfect for drinking with friends.
Sideways and Miles got it wrong, When made right Merlot is a very nice wine.
So I was excited
to find that one of my favorite wineries had its 2009 Merlots on sale. The deLorimier
winery in Geyserville, California is where we stayed on last year’s wine trip.
It’s part of the Wilson family of wineries and they make some really great
wines. And their deLorimier Merlot is no exception. 
We bought
several cases of this very food friendly wine. It has the aromas of dark fruit with
hints of toasted oak and roasted coffee. Its flavors are deep cherry and
blackberry with slight tannins and oak. You’ll also find a very small hint of
mocha.
And this Merlot is perfect for
drinking with friends.
Well our
cases arrived last week and I quickly opened them eagerly getting out the
bottles. All that was left was drinking my new found friends! That night we savored
a bottle with our outdoor meal and it proved to be as good as I thought it
would be. Merlot is a very great wine, especially with good food and great friends!
Cheers!
Harold
The Neighborhood Wine Porch Party!
You can now follow The Neighborhood Wine Porch Party on Facebook where this blog appears weekly as well as listings for wine events, recipes and additional wine information. While on the page, please take the time to “Like” it and share it with your friends.
You can also follow the blog and my comments about wine on Twitter @winegonewild.
Also please add your comments below & take the time to “join our blog” on the top right hand side of this page.
You don’t have to live in Munger Place to join the blog, "Like" us on facebook or follow us on Twitter.
