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Merlot on the rise in US
February 14, 2008
Richard Woodard
Sales of Merlot in the US are on the rise again – suggesting that the 'Sideways effect' may have run its course.
Demand for Merlot plummeted after a character in hit film Sideways spurned the variety in favour of Pinot Noir, while sales of Pinot rocketed.
Now Merlot is recovering, with sales up to December 2007 of domestically produced Merlots in the US increasing 6% in value, according to IRI data.
The surge was led by category leader Blackstone Winery, whose Merlot – the best-selling domestic red wine in the US – leapt 11.6%.
Blackstone winemaker Gary Sitton attributed the rise to Merlot's inherently fruity character and soft tannins. 'American wine drinkers may be fickle in the short term,' he said. 'But eventually they come home to what tastes good to them, and what has tasted good to them for a long time is Merlot.'
Despite Pinot Noir's huge recent growth in popularity, sales of the variety are less than half those of Merlot. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot together account for 45% of US wine sales.
And Sitton believes the grape's recovery is set to continue with the launch of wines from the 2006 harvest, which he described as 'a strong vintage' for Merlot.
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 As a person who sells wine for a living, I saw this coming all last year. I also saw the increase in quality in Merlot the decrease in quality in entrée level Pinot Noir. Because the prices or Merlot were lower than Pinot Noir consumers started to notice. From my point of view the low end Pinot Noirs are undrinkably dreadful whereas the cheaper Merlot is a safer bet for casual drinking. Ironically the "Sideways effect" seems to have saved Merlot from the very thing Miles railed against in the movie.
Ron Brooks, Washington DC, USA
Might any of this have to do with the absolute ocean of Merlot possibly resulting from overplanted vineyards in California several years ago, and the ability (and advantage?) to blend other grape varieties and still market a wine as a "single-varietal wine."
John, Ohio, USA
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