This fact was accentuated at the recent information day held by the South African Merlot Forum, which is known by the funky handle of Hallo Merlot! Danielle le Roux, chairperson of the Forum, ascribes Merlot’s popularity to a variety of factors.
“Taste is personal and belongs to the individual, so no one person can determine what others like or do not like,” says Danielle, a Cape Wine Master who is also winemaker at Guardian Peak in Stellenbosch. “But if I was permitted the audacity of giving a reason for Merlot’s likeability it would be the succulent berry flavours and the grapes tendency to produce wines without aggressive tannins.” And South African wine drinkers are not alone in their love of Merlot.
“It is the second most popular wine in America, the world’s largest wine market, and one of the top picks for British red wine drinkers,” she adds.
And yes, don’t underestimate the clout of the punchy name. “Merlot is a short, succinct name that is easy to pronounce in any language – that I am aware of, in any event,” says Danielle. “With the importance of brands in the current market-place, I definitely think that Merlot’s success can also be attributed to the simplicity of the name.”
But as chair of the Merlot Forum, Danielle is quick to emphasize the leading reason for Merlot’s popularity. “The geographical features and climate of the Cape winelands allow us to make wines bringing the flavour-profile and pleasing structure of the variety to the fore,” she says. “And, of course, the skill of our winemakers. It is our diverse terroir and the great winemaking that, at the end of the day, lies behind the success of Merlot.”
Italian Merlot
Danielle says South African Merlot deserves greater recognition from critics and wine writers than is currently the case.
“But this is the problem when you are seen as popular and commercially successful,” she says. “When everyone likes you, you aren’t deemed serious or interesting enough. And such is the case with wine. Here Merlot shares the stage with Sauvignon Blanc which is by far the most popular white wine in South Africa but is nowhere near in getting the recognition it deserves from industry commentators.”
The final word, however, belongs to the taste in the mouth. And here those attending the Merlot Forum’s information day were given the opportunity to taste some of South Africa’s best Merlots as well as some offerings from Italy. Luca Rettondini, cellarmaster at Le Macchiole in Bolgheri had been jetted in to introduce his wines to the audience.
The 12 best South African Merlots for 2019, as judged by Christian Eedes and his WineMag panel, were: Creation 2017, Dornier 2017, Eagles' Nest 2015, Groot Constantia 2016, Groote Post 2017, Holden Manz Reserve 2016, Jordan Black Magic 2016, Laibach Claypot 2016, Meinert 2015, Overgaauw 2017, Remhoogte Aspect 2015 and Shannon Mount Bullet 2016.
Looking at the selection it is evident that good Merlot finds a place in a diversity of wine regions. Represented here were the West Coast, Hemel-en-Aarde, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Constantia, varying and distinctive geographical areas all making exceptional wine from one grape, i.e. Merlot.
Luca presented his own Le Macchiole Messorio (Merlot) 2015 alongside wines from Veneto, Lazio and east Tuscany.
What was evident was that the Italian wines, especially the Le Macchiole, were relatively ripe and warm compared to the South African offerings. The trend being to always expect something cool from Europe. “Don’t believe it,” says Luca. “Where I’m from in Bolgheri we can see 40°C in the summer. It’s not only Africa that gets the heat.”
Of South Africa, Luca says it is a wine country close to his heart. “This is my second visit and the Cape is one of the most diverse and most interesting wine regions I have visited,” he says. “The brilliant Merlot wines, the culture and history of the South African winelands, the producers’ tangible connection with their soil, landscape and their farming….this is something we Italians can relate to. As winemakers our biggest role is to honour nature with good wine, and here we are brothers and sisters.”