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Happy Friday,
I'd like to begin today's newsletter with some dialogue from Season 7, Episode 11 of Seinfeld, entitled The Rye.
SUSAN: How do you like the Merlot?
ESTELLE: Merlot? I never heard of it. Did they just invent it?
MRS. ROSS: Oh, mother.
GEORGE: She's, uh, she's heard of Merlot.
If you're reading this, you've probably heard of Merlot. And if not from Seinfeld, then perhaps from this infamous Sideways clip (for the unfamiliar, language warning).
From here the question that usual follows is:
"Did Sideways really upend Merlot sales?
The answer: You bet.
The only mention of Merlot in the entire movie kerplunked sales of the variety in the United States, although that's not the entire story.
For more color on the impact of Sideways, see:
I think it's important to note that the typical American wine consumer leads wine conversations with grape variety.
No doubt, you've heard the grape talk before:
Americans love to pledge allegiance to our favorite grapes and chastise what we believe our lessor varieties. We judge the book by what's on the cover. In the case of wine, it's the variety written on the label.
But for America, that's only 75% true.
Behold, the power of blending.
The truth about American wine labels is that in order to say Cabernet Sauvignon, it only has to be 75% Cabernet Sauvignon. The rest could be Merlot.
As for a red blend? It gets a little more gray.
Red wine blends have two options for labeling:
In short, the order of grapes listed on American bottles can give you an idea to the wine's makeup.
No, not exactly. It's not like there's a secret Merlot society slipping grapes in every bottle. Although, the wine world is no stranger to wine fraud.
The key takeaways are:
So, let's question the anecdotes, the advice, the information we assume to know about a bottle of wine. And let's prepare for when they're out of Merlot.
by Brian McCann
You'll finally understand wine. Learn tips and strategies to become a lifelong wine learner from an award-winning wine industry veteran who has earned multiple certifications. You're viewing my weekly newsletter. Subscribe and share it via the links below.
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