Wine: Sweet-natured grape forgives pride and prejudice

To celebrate International Merlot Day, we explore the merits of a wine which deserves a more generous reputation

Merlot has been grown with particular success in the Bordeaux region. Picture: Tim Graham/Getty Images

Today is International Merlot Day. While it’s not quite in the category of ABC (anything but Chardonnay), Merlot has had similar fluctuations of quality, demand and supply. Over-extracted and mass produced, its merits can be easy to forget.

A sweet grape, Merlot has been grown with particular success in the Bordeaux region. There it is used not only as a main variety, but also a foil for the tannic structure of Cabernet Sauvignon in traditional ...