Is Merlot Light Or Heavy?

When youthful, wines can be semi-opaque to opaque, and deep ruby red. The color is generally lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon and deeper than Pinot Noir. One indicator that you’ve got Merlot in the glass is the glint of brick/orange tones on the rim.

However, great Merlot is not as easy to grow as people thought, leading to overplanting and an abundance of poor quality wines. Typically, Merlot is a dry, medium- to full-bodied wine with moderate acidity, moderate to high alcohol, and soft but present tannins.

One reason people love Merlot is its versatility, thanks to the range of styles and prices on the market. Fruity, easy-drinking Merlot goes great with white and dark meats from chicken, turkey and pork, as well as weeknight pasta, burgers, and pizza.

One indicator that you’ve got Merlot in the glass is the glint of brick/orange tones on the rim. Merlot color changes with age, losing pigmentation and brightness, and turning garnet.

What is the difference between a cabernet sauvignon and a pinot noir?

Red Wine Body: Light, Medium, Heavy. Most people know that a pinot noir is a light bodied red wine, while a cabernet sauvignon is a heavy bodied wine , but not many can name the wines that fall in-between these two markers, the medium bodied varieties.

Medium-full tempranillo is synonymous with Spain, specifically the La Rioja winemaking region. The wine can age to up to 20 years in oak.

And finally, Malbec is a wonderful example of a world famous full bodied red wine. It’s produced in Chile and France, but Argentina leads the production of the grape. It’s an easy drinking medium tannin wine presenting fruits like black cherry, pomegranate, plum and raisin.

What is the color of Merlot?

Merlot has a red color because it’s made with red-skinned grapes. When youthful, wines can be semi-opaque to opaque, and deep ruby red. The color is generally lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon and deeper than Pinot Noir. One indicator that you’ve got Merlot in the glass is the glint of brick/orange tones on the rim. Merlot color changes with age, losing pigmentation and brightness, and turning garnet. Though not very common, Merlot is also used to produce both rosé and white wines.

The best Merlot taste has a range of flavors, ranging from graphite, herbs and blackberries, to black cherries, plums, and cocoa, often layered with notes of clove, vanilla, and cedar when aged in o ak. Merlot grapes / Getty.

The word Merlot is French for “the little blackbird.” Merlot also refers to a red grape variety used to make wine around the world.

There are three camps of thought on this. The first argue that rather than ruin Merlot’s reputation, the movie inspired a new audience of Pinot Noir drinkers who merely swapped one red wine for another . The second argues that the movie didn’t influence the decline of Merlot because Merlot was already on the way out due to overplanting and the proliferation of bad wines on the market. A third camp argues that the disgust for Merlot shown by the lead character, Miles, did, in fact, turn a generation of wine drinkers off of Merlot. Regardless of the effect the movie had, the bottom line is that bad, good and sublime Merlot exists, and because of the latter, Merlot is making a comeback.

Alcohol has calories. Typically, a 5-ounce serving of Merlot has around 125 calories, or 625 calories in a 750ml bottle. If a Merlot has a touch of residual sugar, the wine will have carbohydrates or carbs, but only a small amount. Dry wines usually range between zero and 4 grams of carbohydrates.

Regardless, the average house at 70-75°F is still too warm for red wine. And when Merlot is too warm, the alcohol tastes hot while the flavors are muddled. Too cold, and the aromas and flavors are muted. The ideal temperature range to serve Merlot is 60–65°F, which can be achieved by 15 minutes in the refrigerator. If you don’t finish a bottle of Merlot, replace the cork and stick it back in the fridge. The flavors will stay fresh for 2–4 days. Beyond that, the wine will start to oxidize. At that point, toss it in a braised meat or vegetable dish.

Fruity, easy-drinking Merlot goes great with white and dark meats from chicken, turkey and pork, as well as weeknight pasta, burgers, and pizza. Fuller-bodied, ripe and fleshy styles, often with higher alcohol, can handle fuller-flavored foods such as beef and lamb, hearty bean dishes, and game meats like venison and bison. Classic, savory styles such as right bank Merlot from Bordeaux go well with roasted meats, duck, and mushrooms. The key is to match the wine’s weight and flavor intensity with the weight and flavor intensity of the dish.

What is the difference between Merlot and Bordeaux?

The difference is less body and a higher acidity level in the finished product.

The first traceable mention of Merlot comes from the Bordeaux region of France where, in 1784, a local official wrote of the wine (then called Merlau) and noted it as one of the best in the region. From here the mention of Merlot begins to pick of speed around the globe as sommeliers began to debate about the origins of the variety. While an 1824 publication notes that the wine derives her name from a local Blackbird (The Merlau) who was often spotted eating the grapes directly from the vine, descriptions from the early 1900s indicate that the grape may have originated on one of the islands found along the Garonne River in France.

As a favored son of the Bordeaux region, it comes as no surprise that the Merlot grape plays a large part in the famed Bordeaux blend red wines. While the types of grapes and proportion of each in the blend are not regulated, it’s left solely up to the individual winemaker, every Bordeaux Blend contains as least three of the grape varieties traditional to the regions. These varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verds, and of course, Merlot.

What does it mean when wine is bold?

A combination of several fundamental traits in wine define how bold it is. For example, the tannin level in wine indicates boldness, and so alcohol level. Higher alcohol wines tend to taste bolder. On the other hand, wines with lower alcohol, less tannin, and higher acidity are lighter-bodied.

Pinot Noir does not appear to grow alongside Cabernet Sauvignon. We can expect Cabernet Franc to have higher stylistic range based its ability to grow in varied climates. Merlot can grow in cooler climates than Cabernet Sauvignon. Bolder wine varieties tend to grow in warmer climates.

Climate Affects Boldness in Red Wine. The fascinating thing about wine grapes is the wide range of climates in which they can grow. However, you’ll notice that certain varieties grow only in cool climates and vice versa. Cooler climates tend to produce lighter red wines with higher acidity.