Obviously, Merlot has had a bad name as of late, no thanks in part to the quintessential line in Sideways: No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot! To a certain degree, this is deserved. A great many bottles of Californian Merlot are squalid, watery, undefined, over-oaked grape juice. It’s understandable why someone would get a very, very bad view of this particular grape if they only taste American reds (although there are some good ones hiding about). It needs to be noted though […]