South American Wine Guide, Independent Guide to the Best Wines in South America for Visitors to Peru

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South American Wines

An Introduction to the Wines of South America for Visitors to Peru

Red Wine Varieties: MERLOT

Other Red Wine Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Merlot / Carmenere / Syrah / Pinot Noir / Cabernet Franc / Bonarda / Tempranillo / Sangiovese / Tannat

MERLOT
Merlot is the red-wine success of the 1990s, and it seems wine lovers can't drink enough of it.

Like Cabernet, Merlot can benefit from some blending, as Cabernet can give it backbone, color and tannic strength. It also marries well with oak. As a wine, Merlot's aging potential is fair to good. It may be softer with age, but often the fruit flavors fade and the herbal flavors dominate.

Wine characteristics
General Medium tannins

Cool climate Strawberry, red berry, plum, cedar, tobacco

Medium climate Blackberry, black plum, black cherry

Hot climate Fruitcake, chocolate

As a varietal wine, Merlot can make soft, velvety wines with plum flavors. While Merlot wines tend to mature faster than Cabernet Sauvignon, some examples can continue to develop in the bottle for decades.[6] There are three main styles of Merlot-a soft, fruity, smooth wine with very little tannins, a fruity wine with more tannic structure and, finally, a brawny, highly tannic style made in the profile of Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of the fruit notes commonly associated with Merlot include cassis, black and red cherries, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, mulberry, ollalieberry and plum. Vegetable and earthy notes include black and green olives, cola nut, bell pepper, fennel, humus, leather, mushrooms, rhubarb and tobacco. Floral and herbal notes commonly associated with Merlot include green and black tea, eucalyptus, laurel, mint, oregano, pine, rosemary, sage, sarsaparilla and thyme. When Merlot has spent significant time in oak, the wine may show notes of caramel, chocolate, coconut, coffee bean, dill weed, mocha, molasses, smoke, vanilla and walnut.[5]

Merlot: This is an early ripening grape, with gentle flavors of cherry, honey, and sometimes mint. It has less tannin than some of its red cousins. Merlot wine is a major blending component of most Bordeaux wines. It's grown in France, Italy, Australia, and in the states - California, Washington, and Long Island, NY.

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South American Wines - An Independent Guide to the some of the Best Wines from Peru, Argentina & Chile.