File:Merlot.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Merlot
Sign in to saveAlso known as Alicante, Alicante noir, Bégney, Bidal, Bidalhe, Bigney, Bigney rouge, Bini
Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, make Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.
Key facts
- Grape variety.name
- Merlot
- Grape variety.image
- Merlot.jpg
- Grape variety.caption
- Merlot grapes on the vine
- Grape variety.color
- Noir
- Grape variety.color_alt
- Black
- Grape variety.also_called
- Picard, Langon
- Grape variety.regions
- Bordeaux, Long Island, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Chilean Central Valley, Romania, Australia, and Hungary
- Grape variety.wine_cool
- Strawberry, red berry, plum, cedar, tobacco
- Grape variety.wine_medium
- Blackberry, black plum, black cherry
- Grape variety.wines
- South Africa, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol
- Grape variety.soil
- Clay
- Grape variety.wine_general
- Medium tannins
- Grape variety.wine_hot
- Fruitcake, chocolate
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Merlot Grape.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- inception
- 1750-00-00
- native label
- Merlot
- Commons category
- Merlot
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~30 min read
Article
25 sectionsContents
- History and name
- Parentage and relationship to other grapes
- Viticulture
- Wine regions
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Central Europe
- Rest of Europe
- United States
- California
- Washington State
- Canada
- Mexico
- Chile
- South America
- Argentina
- Oceania, South Africa, and Asia
- Wines
- White Merlot
- Food pairing
- Synonyms
- See also
- References
- External links
Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, make 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 wine, and it is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine regions. Merlot is also one of the most popular red wine varietals in many markets. This flexibility has helped to make it one of the world's most planted grape varieties. As of 2004, Merlot was estimated to be the third most grown variety at globally. The area dedicated to Merlot has continued to increase, with in 2015.