A (Modest) Defense of Merlot

Ever since Paul Giamatti vowed not to drink Merlot in the movie “Sideways,” the varietal has gotten a bad rap of sorts among some wine lovers.  I’ve even been accused of having it out for Merlot (see the comment from my Start Liking Wine post), but it just isn’t true.  I have nothing against Merlot, I enjoy it on the whole.  My problem with Merlot, and the reason I don’t drink the varietal more often is that it is a red wine, and being a red wine, it has more competition from other varietals that I just flat out like better.

I’ve said many times that Chianti is my favorite type of wine; I’ve also written about how I like Rioja, I love Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, wines made with the Barbera grape, Nero d’ Avola, Pinot Noir, and the list goes on and on.  So, with so much competition, I just don’t get around to drinking as much Merlot as I do other varietals.  It is rare that I will walk down the aisle of a grocery store or wine shop and have a bottle of Merlot catch my eye over some of my favorites.

Merlot can be great, both as a stand along varietal, and as a blending grape.  Some of the best wines in the world are blends that are contain significant amounts of Merlot (think Bordeaux).  But, most of my exposure to Merlot has come in the form of the wine that Paul Giamatti cannot stand (side note: in “Sideways,” Giamatti’s prized bottle of wine, a 1961 Cheval Blanc contains about 40% Merlot), Merlot as a standalone varietal.  I enjoy Merlot because it is a diverse wine- it can be either full or light, depending on the location and style in which it is made.  This makes the wine a bit tricky though, you can end up with a heavier version than you might have wanted, or lighter than you anticipated.  So, safe bets for Merlot are brands, or at least regions, that you are familiar with.  On the whole, I would classify Merlot as a smooth wine, so it is pretty easy to drink and pretty easy to pair with a wide variety of dishes.  But while I like all of these things about it, I have to reiterate that it has to compete with all the other red varietals, so for that reason alone, it doesn’t get much love from me.

Think about it: when you have a steak, you want a big, bold wine to go with it (Cab Sav, Syrah, Bordeaux, etc.).  When you have pasta, you go Italian.  Asian and Mexican food generally leads you to white wine.  There just aren’t a whole lot of foods that immediately jump out to me as slam dunk pairings with Merlot (but, Merlot would pair decently well with any of them).  I will say that I could see pizza being a good partner for Merlot (if I decide to take a break from Chianti or don’t happen to have any on hand).  I’ll have to try that pairing next time and report back. 

So Merlot generally gets a thumbs up from me but there isn’t a whole lot of space in my world of red wine for it to get too much playing time.