Merlot Wine Grape | Wine, Beer and Liquor

Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a combination grape and for different types of wines. The name Merlot is consideration to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, a miniature of merle, merlot, the blackbird (Turdus merula), almost certainly from the color of the grape. It is the predominant variety in most wines from Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, an area which is often seen as the home of Merlot.

There are many regions which very dominant of this kind of wine grapes. They are following Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Chilean Central Valley, and Australia. Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are most notable wines being created based on Merlot. Clay is the ideal soil in growing this kind of grape. Merlot-based wines frequently have medium body with hints of berry, plum, and currant. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its previous ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.

Merlot is one of the primary grapes in Bordeaux wine where it is the most widely planted grape, even though it is eclipsed in build by cabernet sauvignon, the grape with which it is regularly blended. In current years, Merlot has enjoyed an explosion in recognition, especially in the South America, United States, Australia and Italy. In California, plantings have grown up from 4,000 acres in 1988 to over 50,000 today.
Study into the genetics of Merlot recommends that it is directly associated to Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, its Bordeaux combination partners. Carmenere, is an historic member of the extended Bordeaux variety is also a close relative, and has been erroneous as Merlot for many years in the vineyards of Chile.

Along with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, Malbec, Merlot is also one of the most accepted red wine varietals in many markets. This suppleness 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 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) internationally, with an ever-increasing development. This puts Merlot just behind Cabernet Sauvignon's 262,000 hectares (650,000 acres).

Merlot might be seen as the consistent grape variety, or as an insurance guiding principle. Along with its capability to make softer wine, it is an early-maturing variety – meaning that it ripens even in to some extent cooler climates. Its key disadvantage is that the early stage of developing flowers is more at risk to frost damage in spring.