Ever since Paul Giamatti's Miles in the movie "Sideways" uttered the famous line, "I am NOT drinking any [expletive deleted] Merlot," the grape and its wine have become something of a whipping boy. Miles' animus likely stemmed from the fact that somewhere along the way Merlot had already become synonymous with "bland, inoffensive, utterly tannin-free red wine drunk as a cocktail," as in "No martini for me, thanks, I'll just have a glass of Merlot."   More

Ever since Paul Giamatti's Miles in the movie "Sideways" uttered the famous line, "I am NOT drinking any [expletive deleted] Merlot," the grape and its wine have become something of a whipping boy. Miles' animus likely stemmed from the fact that somewhere along the way Merlot had already become synonymous with "bland, inoffensive, utterly tannin-free red wine drunk as a cocktail," as in "No martini for me, thanks, I'll just have a glass of Merlot."

The fact, however, is that the variety is one of the wine world's "noblest," having served an important function in Bordeaux for centuries. Among the famous estates occupying Bordeaux's "Left Bank," it serves to mitigate the natural astringency of the dominant Cabernet Sauvignon; across the river, in the communes of St.-Emilion and Pomerol, Merlot plays the starring role, reaching its apotheosis in Chateau Pétrus (which is nearly entirely Merlot), arguably the region's most sought after and expensive wine.

American Merlot runs the stylistic gamut, from soulless, character-free plonk served up by the glass at bars and eateries everywhere, to serious, complex wines that seduce by means of plush texture allied with flavors suggestive of everything from cherry to olive to aromatic herbs.   Less