Wednesday, October 9, 2019

October Is A Merlot Celebration – Here’s How To #MerlotMe

IMG_20181004_164036Flip The Script: Merlot Is Amazing

Merlot has gotten a bad rap, but I’m flipping the script. by now wine lovers are well acquainted with The 2004 American movie Sideways. The film features Paul Giamatti as a Pinot Noir aficionado and Merlot hater.

This cinematic effort is credited for having made Pinot Noir trendy in the US and sending Merlot sales into the abyss. Enough already. That was 15 years ago.

Celebrate Great Merlot This Month

Some of the world’s greatest wines feature Merlot (can you say Bordeaux?). Washington State and Napa Valley produce mind-blowing varietal bottlings. If you think that Merlot is a weak-kneed, insipid grape get over it. You are just drinking the wrong bottles.

There is no better time to pop open a bottle of Merlot than October, which is International Merlot Month. For the seventh year, wine aficionados will rally ‘round the hashtag of #MerlotMe, for a month-long, global movement celebrating the Merlot grape. #MerlotMe aims to hit a record number of social posts using the hashtag to reach millions of wine lovers.

#MerlotMe unites those celebrating this lavishly textured, dazzling versatile noble red grape varietal. Wine producers and consumers across the globe will celebrate Merlot online during October with the hashtag #MerlotMe, sharing wines while toasting and tasting at events, in wine stores, restaurants, and homes everywhere.

How to #MerlotMe

Want to participate. Simply get your hands on Merlot! Share online with #MerlotMe. You can visit MerlotMe for the latest on where to taste, recipes, and follow participating wineries for Merlot news all month long. (By the way, this list includes some of the best Merlot producers around!) Visit your favorite winery and mention #MerlotMe for special offers and tastings.

Participating wineries, restaurants and retailers will feature #MerlotMe inspired tasting flights, food bloggers are posting Merlot-paired recipes with #WinePW Twitter chat on Saturday, October 12th at 11 am ET, spotlighting the food-friendly nature of the varietal. Winery tasting rooms in California, Washington and beyond are featuring special tasting flights, reserve and library pours and special pricing in honor of Merlot Month.

Merlot Momentum

In just the last five years the #MerlotMe celebration has generated more than 62 million social media impressions and reached a worldwide audience in more than 40 countries and nearly all 50 states with almost 15,000 social media posts. Check out these Merlot factoids: Merlot is one of the most popular fine wine varieties in the world with more than 720,000 acres planted worldwide. Merlot is the third leading red varietal after Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blends purchased by Americans today. Merlot is the #1 red most consumed wine varietal according to consumers in a Wine Intelligence August 2018 survey of more than 4,000 wine consumers across all ages and drinking preferences. Merlot led social discussions online versus other varietals during the majority of months over the past year and Merlot received 43% of social mentions during the past year. California Merlot consumption was approximately 19 million cases in 2017 in the U.S., growing from the 2.8 million cases sold in 1994.

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