How to Choose a Merlot

When selecting the best merlot, remember: If you like it, buy it. When it comes to your own taste and personal preferences, there is no one more expert than yourself. That said, here are a few things to consider.

Things You'll Need

• Merlot
• Corkscrews
• Wine Glasses

Instructions

1. Base your merlot purchase on a relationship between quality, price and value.

2. Determine the style of merlot you like most. Where a wine comes from is probably the most important factor in what it will be like, so look for the country of origin on the bottle.

3. Understand that the two largest regions producing merlot today are California and France. Merlots from France tend to seek a balance between the nonfruit and fruit aspects. California merlots tend to emphasize the fruit first.

4. Realize that weather is a big reason for stylistic differences. Grapes have a difficult time ripening during any season in Pomerol or St. Emilion, which are France's major merlot-producing regions. On the other hand, California rarely sees a season in which grapes don't fully ripen. Fully ripe grapes yield more fruity characteristics than do less ripe grapes.

5. Learn to look for subregions and producers as well as general regions. The more specific the region listed on the wine label, the higher the wine's quality is likely to be. For example, "California" is the most general designation a wine from that state can have. There are many good merlots in this category, but very few great ones. If a wine lists a subregion such as "North Coast" or "Central Coast," the quality should be slightly higher, with a truer merlot profile. If a wine lists a more specific location, such as "Napa County," "Howell Mountain" or "Stags Leap," on the front label, the quality should be higher still. If a wine lists a specific vineyard or circumstance, such as "Bancroft Ranch" or "Three Palms Vineyard," on the front label, the wine should be of the highest quality and probably will have a correspondingly high price.

Tips & Warnings

• French wines are generally thought of as better partners to food than are California wines. Some people think California wines are better enjoyed on their own rather than with food. You can be the judge of that.

• South Africa, Australia and Italy are all making incredible examples of merlot, but not at the volume that California and France do.