differences between Chardonay and Merlot

[Bryanjeannie]

What is the differences between a Chardonay and a Merlot?

[randery]

Chardonnay is white. Merlot is red.

[Innkeeper]

Randery is correct, but erred in not welcoming you to the Board. Welcome Bryan or Jeannie as the case may be.

The similarity that they share is that they are the most popular white and red wines in America. This reflects a lot on the taste of American winedrinkers and/or the influence of American and other winewriters.

Most chardonnay (a wine I love it its unadulterated state) is so loaded with the flavor of oak that it tastes more like trees than grapes. Even lower price chardonnay has toasted oakdust infused into the aging wine tanks by giant tea bags or just loosely thrown in and filtered out.

Merlot started out in the Old World primarily as a blending wine in Bordeaux. Varietal merlot came along as a result of the 60 Minutes revelation that Frenchmen lived longer because they drank red wine. Merlot was the mildest, most unassuming red wine available. Thousands of acres were planted, and bingo, it is the most popular red, and probably the worst red wine grape to bottle as a single variety in the world.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 10-26-2003).]

[winoweenie]

Hi BJ and welcome to the board. All replies are correct with the exception that Cabernet Sauvignon outsells Merlot by more than 6 to one so would question the " Most Popular " moniker. WW

[Innkeeper]

Cabernet sauvignon which, by the way is a red wine also, outsells merlot by volume, but merlot sells to more people.

[wineguruchgo]

What neither mentioned is that much of the reason they are so popular is two fold:

They are both easy to drink and people can pronounce them.

Innkeeper you are right that Merlot was a blending grape and it's primary responsibility was to calm down the cabernet in the traditional Bordeaux blend.

It has been recently (last 100 yrs) with the advance of technology, that Merlot has been palatable as it's own varietal.

There is nothing wrong with drinking either. Some people like the oaky taste in Chardonnay, some don't. Most people who drink Merlot like it because the tannins are relaxed (tannin is the thing that makes your tongue feel like it's sticking to the roof of your mouth and/or dries your mouth out like Iced Tea). The lower tannin level makes the wine easier to drink.

Taste in wine is like taste in color. There is no right or wrong anwer.

[Brom]

"right that Merlot was a blending grape and it's primary responsibility was to calm down the cabernet in the traditional Bordeaux blend."

Can you say Petrus?

[Thomas]

...or Pomerol?

Here we have another wine novice but I fear the information he or she has is near useless.

Chardonnay is a white wine grape that is grown in many parts of the world, among the most famous of them is Burgundy, in France.

Merlot is a red wine grape that also grows in many parts of the world, the most famous of them is Bordeaux.

[White Wine Lover]

What is White Merlot, then? Someone gave me a bottle, and it looks red or rose to me.

Donna

[Thomas]

White Merlot is a number of things:

a marketing idea (stolen from White Zinfandel)

a way to get rid of surplus

an entry-level wine

a winemaking process that allows merlot grapes to enjoy minimal skin contact before pressing so that only a portion of the red skin color is extracted b efore the juice is fermented.