Merlot Wine is made from the Merlot dark wine grape. This Grape is traditionally used for a blending grape and also for specific varietal wines. It has a soft medium bodied character that is perfect for blending with less "fluffy" varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon with higher amounts of tannin which counterbalance the merlot's plummy and berry notes.

The name Merlot is likely to be based on the French word for the young Blackbird - merle - which references the dark colour in the grape itself. Merlot is easily the most widely planted grape within the Bordeaux region of France and it is undoubtedly just about the most popular wine varieties around the globe. Only Cabernet Sauvignon, as outlined by fairly recent reports, has more hectares of growing land dedicated to its production worldwide. The earliest recorded mention of merlot wineis found in the notes of a Bordeaux official dated 1784. He describes wine made from the merlot grape as one of the finest in the region (Libournais).

New plantings of merlot were banned from 1970 - 1975 as a result of serious problems in the late 50's and 60's caused severe frosts and weather related disease which led to some very large crops simply rotting on the vine. Merlot has a tendency to bud early which makes it susceptible to weather conditions leading to over ripening.

Merlot grapes have a tendency to over ripen extremely quickly once past the initial ripening period. This can occur in a matter of days and presents winemakers with the quandary of when best to harvest. If they harvest as soon as the grapes ripen they can gain a slightly more acidic wine that might age better. Others would rather allow somewhat more ripening which reinforces the fruitiness and sweetness of the finished product. Delaying harvesting for too much time however might be disastrous.

Merlot wine enjoyed a visible upswing in its popularity in the usa in the 1990s that was aided by a later harvesting trend within this period which produced a large amount of friendly and straightforward drinking wines because of the softer nature of late harvested merlot grapes. The undeniable fact that the word merlot trips from the tongue easily probably helped too.

Merlot is definitely the most widely grown variety in France. Specifically the south western regions such as Bordeaux, Bergerac and Cahors although it's now widely planted in Languedoc-Roussillon where its often combined with Medoc. Chateau Petrus, one of the most famous and rarest wines in the world is made almost entirely from merlot grapes.

In the 2004 film Sideways, the main character, troubled wine enthusiast and snob Miles, played by Paul Giamatti has a disdain for merlot which he feels is too easy to grow and too approachable. "I'm not drinking Merlot" is his catch phrase in the movie - he far prefers Pinot Noir due to its relative difficulty to husband. A superb place to look at loads of merlot wines is at http://www.wineday.co.uk this site lets you look at wines on offer from many merchants and helps you make an informed and economical choice.