
Red wine consumption, in general, increased in the US following the airing of the 60 Minutes report on the French Paradox and the potential health benefits of wine and, possibly, the chemical resveratrol. In the 1990s, Merlot saw an upswing of popularity in the United States. The grape was introduced to the Swiss, from Bordeaux, sometime in the 19th century and was recorded in the Swiss canton of Ticino between 19. It was first recorded in Italy around Venice under the synonym Bordò in 1855.
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After a series of setbacks that includes a severe frost in 1956 and several vintages in the 1960s lost to rot, French authorities in Bordeaux banned new plantings of Merlot vines between 19. īy the 19th century it was being regularly planted in the Médoc on the "Left Bank" of the Gironde. Other descriptions of the grape from the 19th century called the variety lou seme doù flube (meaning "the seedling from the river") with the grape thought to have originated on one of the islands found along the Garonne river. In 1824, the word Merlot itself appeared in an article on Médoc wine which mentioned that the grape was named after the local black bird (called merlau in the local variant of Occitan language, merle in standard French) who liked eating the ripe grapes on the vine.

The earliest recorded mention of Merlot (under the synonym of Merlau) was in the notes of a local Bordeaux official who in 1784 labeled wine made from the grape in the Libournais region as one of the area's best. History and name A main cluster and an attached "wing cluster" of Merlot grapes with its characteristic dark-blue color
This maintains the acidity and produces more medium-bodied wines with moderate alcohol levels that have fresh, red fruit flavors (raspberries, strawberries) and potentially leafy, vegetal notes. While this international style is practiced by many Bordeaux wine producers, the traditional "Bordeaux style" of Merlot involves harvesting Merlot earlier.
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The "International style" favored by many New World wine regions tends to emphasize late harvesting to gain physiological ripeness and produce inky, purple colored wines that are full in body with high alcohol and lush, velvety tannins with intense, plum and blackberry fruit. While Merlot is made across the globe, there tend to be two main styles. The area planted to Merlot has continued to increase, with 266,000 hectares (660,000 acres) in 2015. As of 2004, Merlot was estimated to be the third most grown variety at 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) globally. This flexibility has helped to make it one of the world's most planted grape varieties. Merlot is also one of the most popular red wine varietals in many markets.

Īlong 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. 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. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Merlot ( / ˈ m ɜːr l oʊ/ MUR-loh) is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. Strawberry, red berry, plum, cedar, tobacco

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