With no thanks to Miles from Sideways

[e_juliana]

Is it me, or have Merlots gotten sweeter as their popularity has peaked and started to decline? I remember a $15 Merlot as being the perfect accompaniment to dark, bittersweet chocolate, and now they taste like they're one step shy of sangria (well, maybe not that bad, but certainly not good either).

Am I insane? Did anyone else notice this?




(I have commentary about the weekend as well, but the mysteries of booze are much more important.)

Comments

[gchick.livejournal.com]

I think you're right -- I thought it was just my taste being fickle and shifting toward other things, but I remember (back when Merlots were nowhere near as common and you never saw them for five bucks) that they were reasonably dark and Bordeaux-ish wines for the price. Now, meh.

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And I've no desire to spend the money required to get a consistently good Merlot when Shiraz and Pinot Noir have been doing it better lately. (The consistency, I mean. Yes.)

[stephl.livejournal.com]

I think I laughed hardest at Miles' rant about Merlot than at anything else in the movie, because I really dislike Merlot. It's thin and weak and, yes, sweet.

I think with more expensive Merlots, they're still complex and full-bodied. I had a $40 Merlot with my mom and stepdad that they had just RAVED about. I was incredibly dubious, because of the recent blandiness of Merlot. But the $40 Merlot was very nice. More like what I associate with a Shiraz these days.

But I'm not paying $40 for a bottle of Merlot when I can get the same -- or better -- quality in a $15 bottle of Shiraz.

[susano.livejournal.com]

When I drink red wine (sadly, not that often) I always pick Shiraz over Merlot.

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

The rant was hysterical, but my favorite bit is Miles dashing through the vineyard chugging a bottle, chased by Jack. I laughed so. damn. hard.

And yeah, there's no way in hell I'm paying $40 for Merlot when I can get a bottle of Veuve Cliquot for the price. Or Pinot Noir, if I'm in the mood.

Shiraz has definitely improved over the past decade. I remember having a Miles-like rant on Shiraz about 6 years ago or so.

[alterjess.livejournal.com]

I had an amazing Merlot on Saturday at an "open that bottle" party (our upstairs neighbor runs a wine business, and has regular wine events), but I have no idea how much it cost. When he opened it, he said something along the lines of "Oh, a Napa Valley Merlot -- this must have cost a bundle," so I know it's nothing I'd regularly buy for myself.

But yeah, I think affordable merlot has gotten sweeter and lighter in recent years, and shiraz is almost always a better bet.

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

But yeah, I think affordable merlot has gotten sweeter and lighter in recent years, and shiraz is almost always a better bet.

Which amuses me to no end, because as I told Tep, I remember going off on a Miles-esque rant about the evils of Shiraz not 7 years ago. Of course, that's when Merlot was still dark and tasty.

(Good) Pinot Noir was a revelation.

[alterjess.livejournal.com]

Ha! Well, shiraz used to suck, or we'd never have gotten the "Australian Table Wines" sketch from Monty Python.