The house grapes · red

Merlot: the soft red that became the face of Vale dos Vinhedos

Merlot makes a soft red with ripe fruit and gentle tannin: it grips your mouth far less than Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose, it recalls plum, ripe cherry and, sometimes, chocolate. If you're just starting to drink dry wine, it tends to make a great first conversation.

Where it comes from

Merlot comes from Bordeaux, in France. According to the OIV, the world wine organization, it started going into the region's wines in the early 19th century and, riding on their fame, spread around the world.

Its father is Cabernet Franc. Its mother stayed hidden for a long time: a 2009 French study found an unrecorded grape, first collected in northern Brittany and later in four spots in the Charentes region. The researchers named it Magdeleine Noire des Charentes.

What it's like in the glass

Soft is the word. The tannin, that dry-mouth feeling of strong black tea, is rounder than Cabernet Sauvignon's. The color is dark and the body runs from medium to full; body is the weight of the wine in your mouth, like the difference between skim and whole milk.

The fruit is ripe: plum, cherry, sometimes jam. The green bell pepper smell common in Cabernets shows up much less. Aged in oak barrels, it picks up vanilla, chocolate and coffee.

It ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. In very hot places, it can overripen and turn jammy and more alcoholic; in mild climates, it tends to stay fresher.

What it pairs with

Because the tannin is gentle, it's one of the easiest reds to bring to the everyday table. It goes well with medium-flavored food, no need for a picanha steak to stand up to the wine. A few ideas:

• Roast chicken or galeto (spit-roasted young chicken)
• Lasagna, gnocchi and pasta with tomato sauce
• Mozzarella, calabresa sausage or margherita pizza
• Pot roast, stroganoff and escondidinho (a Brazilian cassava-topped pie)
• Mushroom risotto
• Semi-aged cheeses, like Brazilian queijo prato

Barbecue works too, especially chicken and leaner cuts. Grilled salmon? Some people love it. Taste and decide: food pairing is a suggestion, not a rule.

Where it shines today

In the OIV survey with 2015 data, Merlot covered 266,000 hectares in 37 countries: the world's second most planted red wine grape, behind only Cabernet Sauvignon. In France, it was the most planted grape in the whole country. In Bordeaux, two thirds of the red grapes are Merlot. In the house's four countries:

• Brazil: it's the face of Vale dos Vinhedos, in Serra Gaúcha, the country's first wine Denomination of Origin (DO), recognized in 2012. The producers' association chose Merlot as the red that represents the region: every red from the DO includes Merlot, and in blends it has to be at least 60%. In Rio Grande do Sul, it's the second most planted fine red grape, after Cabernet Sauvignon (Embrapa's Vineyard Register, 2015 data).
• Chile: it's the country's fifth most planted grape, with 8% of the wine vineyard area in 2024, just behind Carménère. And there's a story: in 1994, Frenchman Jean-Michel Boursiquot, an expert in identifying grapevines, realized that part of the vines called Merlot in Chile were actually Carménère.
• Argentina: just over 4,300 hectares, 2.2% of the country's vineyard area in 2024, almost 80% of it in Mendoza. The area has shrunk 23.7% since 2015.
• Portugal: it's an authorized variety and plays the role of seasoning. On the house list, it only shows up in blends with Portuguese grapes, in Alentejo and Lisboa.

Its other names

In VIVC, the international catalog of grape varieties, the official name is Merlot Noir, and the list of synonyms runs past 70. Among them are Merlau, Plant Médoc, Vitraille and even Sémillon Rouge. In Romania, it shows up as Bigney Rouge.

Watch out for a similar name: Merlot Blanc is a different grape. According to the same 2009 study, it's the offspring of Merlot and Folle Blanche.

Half-sister of Cabernet and Malbec

Merlot's family tree looks like a big Sunday lunch. Since its father is Cabernet Franc, it's a half-sister of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is also a child of Cabernet Franc.

On its mother's side, it's a half-sister of Malbec: VIVC lists Côt, Malbec's French name, as a child of the same Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. Argentina's signature grape and the signature red of Vale dos Vinhedos are relatives.

To start with: Merlot by price range

The price range the house saw at big stores in Brazil, in the month shown. The price changes; the range tends to stay.

• Concha y Toro Reservado RoséChile · rosé · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonup to R$ 60checked Sep 2026
• Santa Rita (3) Tres Medallas MerlotChile · red · Merlotup to R$ 60checked Sep 2026
• Pizzato Fausto MerlotBrazil · red · MerlotR$ 60 to 100checked Sep 2026
• Salton TalentoBrazil · red · Merlot, TannatR$ 100 to 150checked Sep 2026
• Miolo Lote 43 Cabernet Sauvignon-MerlotBrazil · red · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonover R$ 300checked Sep 2026

Throwing a party? How many bottles to buy →

Top rated with Merlot

Average rating from the people who drank it (X-Wines), from 1 to 5. Tap to see the wine's page.

• Clos ApaltaChile · red · Merlot, Carmenèrerating ★ 4.7
• Viña Vik Winery VIKChile · red · Merlot, Syrah/Shirazrating ★ 4.6
• Cousiño-Macul LotaChile · red · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonrating ★ 4.6
• Almaviva EPUChile · red · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonrating ★ 4.6
• Miolo Seival Estate SesmariasBrazil · red · Merlot, Tannatrating ★ 4.5
• Bressia ConjuroArgentina · red · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonrating ★ 4.5
• Pizzato DNA 99 Single Vineyard MerlotBrazil · red · Merlotrating ★ 4.4
• Montes Alpha M RedChile · red · Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignonrating ★ 4.4

See all 174 labels with Merlot in the search →