Merlot is one of the world's most widely planted grape variety with plantings of the vine outpacing even the more well-known Cabernet Sauvignon in many regions, including the grape's homeland of
France.
California,
Romania,
Australia,
Argentina,
Bulgaria,
Canada,
Chile,
Greece,
New Zealand,
South Africa,
Switzerland,
Croatia,
Hungary,
Montenegro,
Slovenia,
Mexico, and other parts of the
United States such as
Washington,
Virginia, and
Long Island. It grows in many regions that also grow Cabernet Sauvignon but tends to be cultivated in the cooler portions of those areas. In areas that are too warm, Merlot will ripen too early. By 2017, that number had dropped slightly to . It is most prominent in
Southwest France in regions like
Bordeaux,
Bergerac, and
Cahors, where it is often blended with Malbec. The largest recent increase in Merlot plantations has occurred in the south of France, such as
Languedoc-Roussillon, where it is often made under the designation of
Vin de Pays wine. Others saw its potential as a stand-alone labeled varietal: The first wineries to market Merlot as a varietal in the post WWII period were Louis M. Martini winery, which made a non-vintage dated Merlot, a blend of the 1968 and 1970 vintages, and
Sterling Vineyards, which issued the first Merlot with a vintage, 1969 —Sterling's winemaker,
Ric Forman, was an early advocate of Merlot as a varietal bottling. Following the "Merlot wine craze" of the 1990s, sparked by
60 Minutes French Paradox report, sales of Merlot spiked, with the grape plantings of over in 2004. A study published in
Wine and Vines magazine indicated that the 2004 movie
Sideways, where the lead character is a
Pinot noir fan who expresses his disdain of Merlot, caused a decline in Merlot sales in the US after its release (and an even larger spike of interest in Pinot noir). By 2010, plantings of California Merlot had dropped slightly to . Following that dip, Merlot plantings rebounded, totaling approximately 39,000 acres in 2020. In California, Merlot can range from very fruity simple wines (sometimes referred to by critics as a "red
Chardonnay") to more serious,
barrel aged examples. It can also be used as a primary component in
Meritage blends. Today it is the second most widely grown red wine grape in the state (after Cabernet Sauvignon), following many years of being the most widely planted variety, and accounts for nearly one fifth of the state's entire production. In 2011, there were of Washington Merlot in cultivation. It is widely planted throughout the
Columbia Valley AVA but has earned particular notice from plantings grown in
Walla Walla,
Red Mountain, and the
Horse Heaven Hills. Washington Merlots are noted for their deep color and balanced acidity. The state's climate lends itself towards long days and hours of sunshine with cool nights that contributes to a significant
diurnal temperature variation and produces wines with
New World fruitiness and
Old World structure.
Canada In
Canada, Merlot can be found across the country from the
Short Hills Bench of the
Niagara Peninsula Ontario, where there were of the grape in 2008, to
British Columbia, where the grape is the most widely planted wine grape variety of either color at . Here Merlot accounts for almost a third of all red wine grape plantings and is used for both varietal and Bordeaux-style blends.
Mexico In
Mexico, Merlot is cultivated primarily in the
Valle de Guadalupe of
Baja California, the country's main wine-producing area. Plantings have increased substantially since the 1980s, and cultivation has spread into the nearby areas of
Ojos Negros and
Santo Tomás. The grape can also be found in the north eastern Mexican wine region of
Coahuila, across the border from Texas.
Chile In
Chile, Merlot thrives in the
Apalta region of
Colchagua Province. It is also grown in significant quantities in
Curicó,
Casablanca, and the
Maipo Valley. Until the early 1990s, the Chilean wine industry mistakenly sold a large quantity of wine made from the Carménère grape as Merlot. Following the discovery that many Chilean vineyards thought to be planted with
Sauvignon blanc were actually
Sauvignonasse, the owners of the Chilean winery
Domaine Paul Bruno (who previously worked with
Château Margaux and
Château Cos d'Estournel) invited
ampelographers to comb through their vineyards to make sure that their wines were properly identified. Genetic studies discovered that much of what had been grown as Merlot was actually
Carménère, an old French variety that had gone largely extinct in France due to its poor resistance to
phylloxera. While the vines, leaves, and grapes look very similar, both grapes produce wines with distinct characteristics—Carménère being more strongly flavored with green pepper notes and Merlot having softer fruit with chocolate notes. Today, "true" Merlot is the third most widely planted grape variety in Chile after Cabernet Sauvignon and
Listán Prieto with in 2009. Most of these planting are in the
Central Valley, with Colchagua leading the way with , followed by
Maule Valley with and Curicó with .
South America In
Uruguay, Merlot is often blended with
Tannat and is the 2nd most widely planted red grape variety, representing around 10% of total vineyard plantings. More widely planted than Cabernet Sauvignon, there were of the grape in cultivation in 2009.
Brazil is home to of Merlot (as of 2007) with most of them in the
Rio Grande do Sul region that is across the border with Uruguay. Other South American wine regions growing Merlot include
Bolivia with as of 2012 and
Peru.
Argentina In
Argentina, Merlot plantings have been increasing in the
Mendoza region with the grape showing an affinity to the
Tupungato region of the
Uco Valley. Argentine Merlots grown in the higher elevations of Tunpungato have shown a balance of ripe fruit, tannic structure, and acidity. The grape is not as widely planted here due to the natural fruity and fleshiness of the popular
Malbec and
Douce noir/Bonarda grapes that often don't need to be "mellowed" by Merlot as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc may benefit from. In 2008, there were of Merlot growing in Argentina, most of it in the Mendoza region and in the
San Juan Province.
Oceania, South Africa, and Asia In
New Zealand, plantings of Merlot have increased in the
Hawke's Bay region, particularly in
Gimblett Gravels where the grape has shown the ability to produce Bordeaux-style wine. The grape has been growing in favor among New Zealand producers due to its ability to ripen better, with less green flavors, than Cabernet Sauvignon. Other regions with significant plantings include
Auckland,
Marlborough, and
Martinborough. In 2008, Merlot was the second most widely red grape variety (after Pinot noir) in New Zealand and accounted for nearly 5% of all the country's plantings with in cultivation. In
Australia, some vineyards labeled as "Merlot" were discovered to actually be Cabernet Franc. Merlot vines can also be found growing in the
Barossa Valley,
McLaren Vale, and
Wrattonbully in
South Australia. In 2008, it was the third most widely planted red grape variety after
Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon with . As in California, the global "Merlot craze" spurred an increase of plantings, most of it in the warm,
irrigated regions of
Murray Darling,
Riverina, and
Riverland, where the grape variety could be mass-produced. Recent plantings, such as those in the
Margaret River area of
Western Australia have been focusing on making more Bordeaux-style blends. In
South Africa, plantings of Merlot have focused on cooler sites within the
Paarl and
Stellenbosch regions. Here the grape is the third most widely planted red grape variety, accounting for nearly 15% of all red wine grape plantings, with of Merlot in cultivation in 2008. The majority of these plantings are found in the Stellenbosch region with and Paarl with . According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, South African Merlot tend to be made as a varietal in a "chocolately, glossy California style". In Asia, Merlot is planted in emerging wine regions in
India. It can also be found in Japan with in 2009 and in China with . == Wines ==