October Paso Wine Man video: Merlot
Merlot – The Pit Bull of American Wines
The Paso Wine Man introduces us to his dog Stella, in the latest video in the Varietal of the Month Series produced by the Paso Robles Wine Alliance. Like the pitbull, Merlot has been a victim of bad press, he tells us. Merlot had it’s reputation turned sideways a few years back. “Wine lovers began to fear what they once loved,” he says. “Forgetting that some of the world’s greatest, most pleasurable wines were made from this nobel grape. An enemy of the people? Hardly. An American classic? Yes.
More about Merlot
Paso Robles grows 4,800 acres of Merlot. That’s more than 10-percent of all wine grape acreage in San Luis Obispo County . Merlot is a dark blue-coloured 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 a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin. Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, Merlot is one of the primary grapes used in Bordeaux-style wines
Paso Wine Man series:
- January varietal – Mourvedre – Taming the Beast
- February varietal – Syrah only looks easy
- March varietal – Zinfandel is not just wine
- April varietal – No need to travel for great cab
- May varietal – Viognier Does Not Rhyme with Wagner
- June varietal – Is that a Pinot in your pocket?
- July varietal – Please Don’t Think About Grenache Blanc
- August varietal – Sauvignon Blanc: Cat Got Your Tongue?
- September varietal – Grenache: Wine and Paper Clips
Next up in the Paso Wine Man series
- November – Roussanne – Coming November 5
- December – Petite Sirah – Coming December 3
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