March 01, 2005
Anything but a f'ing Merlot
Evan Kirchoff reports on the effects of Sideways on sales of Merlot:
Product Placement
Sideways appears to have singlehandedly crippled sales of Merlot:
Many oenophiles have turned up their noses since the mid-1990s, when "a glass of Merlot" became synonymous, for casual drinkers, with a glass of red wine. But sales never stopped rising, and Merlot passed Cabernet as America's best-selling red wine in 2000, according to the Wine Institute.
Now everything has changed, thanks to just two lines in the movie "Sideways." In a much-quoted scene, the wine snob character Miles tells his easygoing friend Jack before a double-date dinner: "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f[ucking] Merlot."
Posted by Nicholas at March 1, 2005 05:06 PM
Hasn't stopped me. But I won't drink French merlot. Only the Aussie stuff.
Agreed, Tipper. I enjoy merlot but I haven't ordered a French wine in a couple of years now.
Well, it'll ruin my chances for joining Team America, but I still drink the occasional bottle of French wine. The last one, however, sucked: it was a Cotes du Rhone, but it was thin, sour, and bitter. In no way did it resemble a "real" Cotes du Rhone except for being red and notionally alcoholic.
I'm not much of a Merlot fan, although it's not my snobbiness, so much as I prefer Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and even Sangiovese over Merlot.
Hurray!
More good merlot for me, and at better prices, I win!
Fred wins in the short term. In the long term, if Merlot's popularity continues to decline, winemakers will respond to the market signals by switching their production away from Merlot, which will reduce supply and potentially raise the price for what remains.
Any reason Pinot Noirs didn't make your short-list, Nick?
I'm not anti-Pinot Noir, but I've only occasionally found the quality to match the asking price. The best Pinot Noir I've ever had was a Nuits St. George '75, but I can't afford to buy wines like that on a regular basis! ;-)
I should probably try more Oregon and BC Pinots, but the LCBO and Vintages locations near us don't stock either regularly.
Isn't Baby Duck a merlot?
I like Fat Bastard, even if it is from France. Dunno whether that passes muster with those who fully appreciate such things, but I drink what I like and can afford, (...which, come to think of it, are often exclusive concepts.)
