What Is A Merlot?
Many people realize that wine can be an excellent addition to your culinary adventures, but not everyone fully understands all of the terminology surrounding the wine industry.
For those who are interested in wine but wouldn't call themselves aficionados, even something as common as the word "merlot" could be lost on them.
To that end, merlot is more than just a word printed on a bottle of red.
Rather, it is the name of the specific kind of grape used to make that specific wine.
The merlot grape is used to make a variety of red wine that is then itself called a merlot.
Merlot wines are characterized by many flavors, including but not limited to currant, berry, and plum.
Generally, it is not as high in tannin as its red counterpart, cabernet sauvignon.
When simply looking at the grapes themselves, merlots can be distinguished from cabernet sauvignons by the color of the grape.
Merlots are generally lighter in color, while the cabernets are a richer, blacker hue.
Also, the merlot skins tend to be thinner.
When tasted, the grape itself is sweeter by virtue of its increased sugar content.
The merlot grape likes to grow in cold soil, and it can actually be somewhat problematic for wine growers as it can be susceptible to rot.
Again, this is because of the thin skin of the grapes.
There is also a very small window of time in which merlot grapes can be successfully harvested.
Once they are ripe, wine growers only have a few days before those grapes are considered overripe.
There are, however, those wine producers that enjoy the taste of an overripe merlot grape, believing that the added ripeness lends extra flavor to the resulting wine.
An equal number of renowned wine makers, though, favor the early picking and the distinctive flavor lent by this practice.
Merlot grapes are grown in many regions of the world, but like so many wines, they are known for their French roots.
France boasts well over half of the world's merlot grape plantings.
And while France has the monopoly, merlots can also be found in places such as California's wine country, Italy, and many other regions.
For those who are interested in wine but wouldn't call themselves aficionados, even something as common as the word "merlot" could be lost on them.
To that end, merlot is more than just a word printed on a bottle of red.
Rather, it is the name of the specific kind of grape used to make that specific wine.
The merlot grape is used to make a variety of red wine that is then itself called a merlot.
Merlot wines are characterized by many flavors, including but not limited to currant, berry, and plum.
Generally, it is not as high in tannin as its red counterpart, cabernet sauvignon.
When simply looking at the grapes themselves, merlots can be distinguished from cabernet sauvignons by the color of the grape.
Merlots are generally lighter in color, while the cabernets are a richer, blacker hue.
Also, the merlot skins tend to be thinner.
When tasted, the grape itself is sweeter by virtue of its increased sugar content.
The merlot grape likes to grow in cold soil, and it can actually be somewhat problematic for wine growers as it can be susceptible to rot.
Again, this is because of the thin skin of the grapes.
There is also a very small window of time in which merlot grapes can be successfully harvested.
Once they are ripe, wine growers only have a few days before those grapes are considered overripe.
There are, however, those wine producers that enjoy the taste of an overripe merlot grape, believing that the added ripeness lends extra flavor to the resulting wine.
An equal number of renowned wine makers, though, favor the early picking and the distinctive flavor lent by this practice.
Merlot grapes are grown in many regions of the world, but like so many wines, they are known for their French roots.
France boasts well over half of the world's merlot grape plantings.
And while France has the monopoly, merlots can also be found in places such as California's wine country, Italy, and many other regions.
