Merlot

Merlot

From South Tyrol to Sicily, Merlot has long since made its way from Bordeaux throughout Italy, and time and again enterprising producers have dared to pit Italian Merlot against its brothers or sisters à la Pétrus or Le Pin in blind tastings. Not infrequently without success.

The best Merlot in the world comes from Italy? It's quite possible that Bordeaux or Ticino (little joke) produce the best Merlots in the world, but the fact is that an astonishing number of single-varietal Merlots from Tuscany, and especially from Bolgheri, repeatedly come out on top in blind tastings. But not only Masseto, Messorio or Redigaffi are the talk of the town, but also a Merlot from Lazio has repeatedly caused a furor: we are talking about the Montiano of the Famiglia Cotarella, which many consider the "best Merlot" in the world. Certainly the cheapest among the names mentioned so far. Be that as it may.

The origin of Merlot or Merlot Noir is considered certain: it comes from the region around Bordeaux. Merle means blackbird in French, and the grape variety got its name from the fact that blackbirds were also fond of the grape early on. In any case, the grape variety can adapt very well and its results please people all over the world. This is probably why it has become the second most planted grape variety in the world. Only Cabernet Sauvignon is more popular. Speaking of Cabernet: Merlot is a cross between Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. And in Italy, by the way, Merlot is not a recently emerged fad, but was already familiar and present in Veneto in 1855, the year in which the first classification was also introduced in Bordeaux, under the term Bordò. This is referred to by the well-known producer Mladen Rožanić from Croatia (Istria) with his wine called - you guessed it - Bordò. And another thing: after France, Italy is - who would have thought it - number two on the list of countries with the most shares of Merlot cultivation. Bravo, Bordò!