And while Merlot’s star power dimmed some after that movie came out in fall 2004, it’s hanging on as the second-most important red grape in a state that ranks No. “One movie did so much damage to a wonderful varietal.”Īnother replied, “Very cool to give Merlot a look in this way!”Īt this point, it’s difficult to imagine Cabernet Sauvignon as anything other than the marquee attraction in Washington state. “Thank you for holding a Merlot-focused tasting,” a vintner wrote.
It’s rare for a wine writer to receive gratitude for conducting a judging focused on an already-famous grape, but Merlot could still use a PR agent nearly two decades after being miscast in the Oscar-winning Sideways.
The Abeja winemaking tandem of Amy Alvarez-Wampfler, and her husband, Daniel Wampfler produced the top entry in Great Northwest Wine’s 2022 comparative tasting of Merlot.
