Is Oak the reason I didn't like the Merlot?

[Innkeeper]

Don't feel bad. Didn't want to prejudice you in advance, but I don't like Meridian Merlot either. The reason is not just the oak, but the fact that wine had little else to offer. The primary raison d'etre of merlot is to tame down harsher grapes such as cabernet sauvignon through blending. By itself, with some exceptions, merlot is just a blah grape making blah wine.

Rather than go into a long song and dance about why varietal merlot is even around, or where you can find nice ones, there is plenty of time for that later; let's find you some red wine you will like. As we've mentioned to other newcomers around here lately, and over time, Beaujolais is a great place to start. Beaujolais Nouveau from 2001 is out there now, and will drink well through the end of this month. After that you can move up to regular Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village, and the Cru Beaulolais such as Morgon and Moulin-a-vent.

Other reds with fresh fruit flavor include Barbera d' Asti from Italy; Cotes Du Rhone, from Southern France; and syrah/shiraz from Western America and Australia. Just to prove that I'm not just down on Meridian, try their syrah. There's a good chance we'll be in their tasting room next month. We'll pass on the merlot.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 01-08-2002).]