It’s time we talk about it, the real reason most people in the international community dislike Merlot. Despite being a popular wine in the 1970-1990s in France and The United States of America, for some reason, it has gained a negative reputation.

So much so that in the 2004 film “Sideways” one of the main characters in the movie Miles Raymond (portrayed by Paul Giamatti) does not shy away from expressing his dislike for the wine. Specifically in the now infamous line “If anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any f******g merlot.”

History

Merlot has a 300-year-long history with its first mention in 19th-century France. It is a Bordeaux grape (originating from Bordeaux, France) variety that is grown worldwide, including old-world regions such as France, and Italy and new-world regions including Chile and The United States.

Winemakers used to consider it a “secondary grade” grape. This meant Merlot was mostly used for blending and not as a stand-alone wine grape.

Like most wine types, there is a time when it becomes popular for reasons only known to God. For Merlot, it was in the 1970s. Due to the high demand, there was a boom of Merlot vine planting in the United States, especially in California and Washington.

The downfall

The main reason why it’s so disliked is due to the effects of the movie we mentioned earlier. It’s even been dubbed by The Guardian as the “Sideaway effect.”

 Some of the main characters’ gripe with Merlot is that it can easily turn into a sweet wine, it’s widely available and it lacks character.

In the United States, sweet wines are extremely popular. In a report published by Statista, the sales of dessert wine in the U.S. amounted to approximately 40.5 million 9-litre cases in 2020, much higher than the 13 million in 1999.

But Miles (the movie character) never specifically said that he hates the wine itself, only how it is produced so much in California at the time. Although some wines produced in the region are great, there is also a large amount of forgettable wine from there, and most of it is heavily based on Merlot.

The Truth

Yes, Merlot can be a soft, fruity, easy to consume and popular wine. For someone who likes to drink wine a lot. This might not be your first pick due to its nature. However, this does not mean it’s a bad quality wine.

Merlot was and still is a very popular wine, when properly made and Le Decanter has an amazing variety to offer you. Whether you like it or not. Merlot is here to stay.