Merlot

Merlot is widely grown in many climates due to its popularity, although it does best in temperate to warm climates.  

Merlot is capable of producing dry and deeply concentrated red wines. With a medium to full body, low acidity, thick pigmentation, and moderate to high tannins. Its thick skin contributes significantly to the taste, and it contains characteristics like: blueberries, black cherries, plums, chocolate, spice, cedar, and vanilla.

Merlot can be used as a base for some of the world’s richest, most powerful, complex red wines, but it can also be made in a simple, fruity style. Regardless of style however, Merlot is easily one of the world’s most popular and recognizable grape varieties. The word Merlot comes from the French word merle, which means “blackbird”. This is a reference of blackbirds that feast upon ripened Merlot grapes when they migrate south for the winter in the region where the grape originated, Bordeaux, France. Located along the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux can be divided into two major regions: the Right Bank and the Left Bank of the Gironde River, which flows through the appellation. Merlot is better suited in the Right Bank of Bordeaux because the climate is slightly warmer and the soil is made up of rich clay. This area is where the most legendary Merlot-based wines in the world are produced. Fully structured and intense, these wines are built to last through significant aging.