A Guide to Merlot
September 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
One of the top wine producing regions in France for centuries now is the world-famous Bordeaux region in southwestern France. This region produces many brands of red Merlot. This region also has 50% more land devoted to vineyards than in any other area of France
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Merlot from the Pomerol Area on the Bank of the Garonne River
There are more than 70 million cases of Merlot produced in Pomerol each year. This is not as difficult of a task as it sounds, considering that there are more than 22 thousand vineyards in Bordeaux, which cover approximately 280 thousand acres of land or 13 acres of land per vineyard. All of these different vineyards produce great wine. There a lot of these vineyards that actually produce and sell their own wine, however the rest of the vineyards sell their wine through one of the many cooperatives that are located in this region.
In this area, you will find about 60 different wine appellations that range from fair to world class and everything in between. Some of these wines date back to 1855, and the recipes have not changed much since then. You will also find that this wine is actually very affordable.
Merlot is actually the major red grape that comes from Bordeaux. Coming in at a distant second is Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course, there are also some other important Bordeaux red grape varieties that are also found in this area but they are not nearly as popular as Merlot. There are also some major white grapes that are found in this area. These include both the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This may interest you since the Pomerol region of Bordeaux is a small, rural area that primarily produces the red wine for which it is so well known.
Tourism in Pomerol
The wine chateaux are Pomerol’s main tourist attractions. For this reason, it is surprising that the world famous Chateau Petrus is not all that special to look at. In fact, many find them to be far from spectacular. This is one of those cases where you really cannot judge a book by its cover. Of course, this region is brimming with other sights to see as well.
Merlot is truly a popular wine of choice, enjoyed by wine drinkers all over the world. Along with the great Merlot from the Pomerol region of France which you will enjoy again and again, there is its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus. With either Merlot, one sip will confirm why they are such popular wines of choice.
Ken
