If you’re taking the time to read about wine, I trust you saw the movie Sideways when it hit theaters in 2004; if not, it’s a must-see. Virginia Madsen’s monologue about the “life of wine” is not only poetic and educational; it’s completely enchanting.
The movie, however, sparked a wholesale stampede away from merlot to pinot noir — even though some of the world’s great wines celebrate merlot.
It’s the prominent grape of the right bank Bordeaux regions Pomerol and Saint-Emilion. In fact, one of the most famous and rare wines in the world, Château Pétrus, is almost entirely merlot. So why does Miles, Sideways’ wine geek, spew such vitriol about merlot if it’s such a noble grape?
It’s because too much merlot is produced around the world with no sense of place. It’s essentially become a homogenized beverage missing individual characteristics. At popular price points, most California merlots taste alike. The same is true for Chilean merlot that is often overproduced, resulting in thousands of cases of simple, soft, fruity generic wine that is pedestrian, insipid and totally unmemorable.
When the goal is mass production instead of quality, you produce the wine that Miles loathes.
Wine aficionados seek out wine that reflect what the French call terroir (teh-RWHAR), meaning the grapes mirror the sum total of a vineyard’s location including soil, climate, elevation, slope, etc. Each element affects how and when the grapes ripen and which grape varietals thrive in a particular location. Winemakers then have myriad choices that also determine quality and flavor—how much to prune and thin the grape clusters, how ripe to pick, how long to ferment, and the use of oak barrels. But great wine starts with farming the fruit and letting the grapes express location.
As I noted last month with white wine grapes, learning a few simple equations will help you understand old world wines that are labeled by geography instead of grape varietal.
Red Burgundy equals pinot noir, red Bordeaux is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot (and usually a small percentage of a few other lesser know blending grapes).
That same Bordeaux mix might be referred to as a “Meritage” blend in California or as a “Super Tuscan” in Italy since the introduction of Bordeaux style wines and grapes.
So let’s look at the big three red grapes.
Pinot noir is the grape that haunts Miles in Sideways. It’s a finicky grape that varies widely. Most Pinot is relatively delicate and the lightest of the big three so it’s sometimes described as a red wine pretending to be a white wine. It produces expensive, haunting wines in Burgundy.
It’s had great success in Oregon and New Zealand, Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, and on California’s Central Coast where Sideways was filmed. Pinot is usually the lightest in color of the big three and displays light berry flavors, but also an earthy quality and some smokiness. The aromas of great Pinot are among the most complex and haunting in all of wine.
Pinot Noir is a food-friendly wine that’s a great match for pork, duck, and lamb. It also pairs beautifully with grilled fish like salmon and ahi tuna or any dish with mushrooms. If you want a real surprise, try it with a soft French cheese like Brie or Camembert that you’ve drizzled with a little white truffle oil.
Merlot is a medium weight wine that displays flavors of berry, plum, and currant. As indicated above, it’s part of a Bordeaux blend often referred to as claret, particularly in Britain. Washington State produces some excellent merlot at affordable prices. It shows well with grilled meats, especially a beef filet or veal/pork chops. It’s also good with full-flavored cheeses like cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan.
Last but not least is Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied grape that is blended in Bordeaux and made into massive fruity cult wines in Napa. It complements red meat, as the tannins balance the fattiness from a well-marbled steak. As with last month’s whites, try tasting all three varietals and then see how they change with food.
NEXT MONTH: Old World vs. New World
This article appears in Apr 25 – May 1, 2013.