It was time, yet again for another Out of the Box Week at my house. This week brought a familiar wine variety, a merlot. Pulled from the collection that my husband had procured, I selected this wine because I felt like having something familiar.
As the second most popular grape in the world, it’s safe to say that Merlot has quite the following. Only Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in a larger quantity.* Merlot is a highly approachable red wine. Its name is easy to pronounce and it generally pairs well with many different dishes. It also makes for easy drinking solo as well. It’s not too heavy and it generally doesn’t have any flavors that come forth that drinkers are not already predicting.
While it originated as a blending grape, Merlot came to California and blossomed on it’s own as a single varietal wine. Americans were quick to accept it and the single varietal style grew to be accepted worldwide.*
This wine was from Paso Robles, California, and sampled on July 8, 2017. The first smell brought only dark plum scents forward, but continued sniffs brought out damp earth and floral hints. I was listening to “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band. The first taste was meaty and brought a juicy sensation to my mouth. So juicy! The Havarti and Gouda made the wine taste even meatier. However, it was still light enough on my palate to be enjoyable.
I gave this wine a rating of 4.0. This was a great example of merlot wine in general. It paired well with food, but could have easily stood alone. It definitely fulfilled my need for something familiar this week.
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