California Merlot
Merlot was originally planted in California during the 1880s, but did not really take hold. Much of the reason for this was the fact that original plantings had very poor yields and were not economical.
It was not until the late 1960s that the grape began to make an impact in California. The “fighting varietal” movement of the 1980s was based on Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is currently used as both a blending agent with Cab as well as produced as a single varietal wine.
In the past 20 years, vineyard acreage of Merlot has increased over 20 times from 2,000 acres to 50,000 acres. Merlot has been America’s red wine of choice for the past couple decades.
At its worst, it is almost interchangeable with any generic red wine made in America. Hence the disdain for the varietal in the movie, Sideways. However, it can also make wines of seductive depth.
