I remember the first time I saw the scene in Sideways, I was a sophomore in high school on a first date. ย I saw Miles scream his opinion about Merlot, and even then I knew that people were going to take this drunk and miserable fictional creation seriously. ย And, boy, they have.
Although nationally Merlot is still the best selling red wine in the US (fancy that), around here Pinot Noir has taken over as the accepted standard. ย I can’t tell you how often I meet people who, upon learning that I study wine as both a hobby and profession, immediately deride Merlot with this sort of “See, I’m on the team” earnestness that, frankly, I find disappointing. ย The sad truth is that there is a lot of bad Merlot out there, but the grape can’t help that. ย It’s people getting in the way that makes Merlot bad. Continue reading NO F’ING MERLOT!!!
