A 'Sideways' Look at Merlot and Pinot
"If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am not drinking any f-----g
Merlot."
This was by far the most memorable line in the whole movie for me, stated
by wine snob Miles.
The movie 'Sideways' was a box-office hit, as well as garnering many prestigious
accolades and awards; among them the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
and two Golden Globes - Best Comedy and Best Screenplay. Now available
on DVD, this movie was released in October 2004. Check out this site for
all the details on this film: http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/sideways/.
The movie is about two buddies who decide to spend the last week of 'freedom'
- before one of them gets married - touring the Santa Barbara wine region.
The movie takes you on a journey with Miles, a wise-cracking, alcoholic,
depressive, pessimist who has a love of wine, particularly Pinot Noir and
his wedding-jittered, nymphomaniac-amigo, Jack. It also cast the elusive,
finicky grape Pinot Noir in a starring role. The adventures of these two
unlikely characters are both entertaining and enlightening. I left the
movie with an overwhelming feeling of relief - that I have a great life
and whenever I'm down or frustrated, just remember poor old Miles or Jack.
You definitely don't have it that bad - even on your worst day. Oh, and
that I could sure use a vacation and tour the Santa Barbara region - which
we'll get to that in a minute - but first, why the fuss over Pinot Noir
and why did Merlot get such a bad rap?
Pinot Noir is grown all the world over; in the United States (Oregon, California),
France - Burgundy (Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, Chalonnaise)and
Champagne, Germany, Canada (BC, Ontario), New Zealand and many others.
Pinot Noir is a ***** to grow. It is often referred to as the Holy Grail
in the winemaking communities outside Europe. It also has many feminine
qualities as it is an exasperating variety for many growers, teasing with
its occasional glimpse of riches but obstinate in its refusal to be tamed.
Being of the feminine persuasion, I take no offence in being compared to
Pinot Noir.
It is natural to want to draw comparisons between the great red wines of
Bordeaux and Burgundy - but the similarities are few. Cabernet Sauvignon,
predominantly grown in Bordeaux with acclaimed high regard, packs a power
of a punch and is the Rocky of the red grape varietals - never gives up
and always comes back for more (well at least five times). Whereas Pinot
Noir travels sullenly, quietly, with a bit of a personality disorder, changing
tunes quite frequently and without forewarning. A definite challenge!
More specifically, Pinot Noir has no single recognizable flavour or style
unless you count its perceived sweetness and its relatively high alcohol
content (12.5% - 13.5%). In its youth, it can taste of freshly crushed
raspberries in the Côte de Beaune wines (Burgundy); ripe, sweet,
strawberries from the Côte de Nuits; inky colour in young Chalonnaise
reds; and plum jam in California and New Zealand. When referring to more
mature red Burgundy, on the other hand, you are getting into more complex
wines that have given Burgundy its reputation. Mature Pinot Noir evolves
into a bouquet of extraordinary flavours and can suggest anything from
violets (yes really) to game, to rotten vegetables (no, it's not a bad
wine) to truffles. In terms of quality, the peaks and gaps are far wider
with Pinot than for Cabernet. So if you compare the Pinot to personality
types, perhaps Miles was so taken with it because in some ways, he can
identify with this grape. It speaks to him on some deeper level and is
highly misunderstood. Who knows?
Viticulturally speaking, Pinot Noir is an early budder and early ripener
on the vine. It is best suited to coolish, preferably marginal climates.
The longer the grapes stay on the vine before tending to raisin and surmaturité,
the more complex the resulting wine. Pinot is also prone to rot and spring
frosts are particularly dangerous. Not surprisingly, France has the world's
largest plantings of Pinot with the majority being grown in the Northeast
with nearly half the vines in Greater Burgundy and of those plantings,
two thirds are on the Côte d'Or region.
Pinot is definitely not a popularist wine with broad consumer appeal. One
theory may be that Burgundy has set the standard for this grape so high.
But there too, wines are often inconsistent, with quality varying from
producer to producer and between vintages. The general populace also tends
to steer clear of any labelling that doesn't immediately tell them what's
in the bottle. The French have certainly not made this aspect of wine selection
easy. Perhaps that all adds to the mystique.
Merlot, on the other hand, is a much different animal (I guess I should
say grape). The irony in the movie is that Miles' favourite wine is the
1961 Cheval-Blanc, Bordeaux from the commune of St-Emilion that's a blend
of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Perhaps in Miles' defense he may simply have
meant that he doesn't like Merlot as a 100% grape varietal but as with
many people, as a blended varietal, why not?
Merlot has its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it's fruity,
forward and a productive grape to grow. On the minus side, Merlot is characterized
by its relatively early budding and flowering, which exposes it to the
danger of spring frosts and coulure (vine fruit fails to set when the vine
flowers in early summer, usually due to unsettled weather). It also ripens
early, and being thinner skinned than its twin, Cabernet Sauvignon, is
it liable to rot in a wet vintage unless treated very carefully. Overall,
Merlot tends to be noticeably lower in tannins (the tea bag feeling on
your teeth and gums from red wine) than Cabernet, and higher in sugars.
Merlot is usually regarded as a blend for Cabernet Sauvignon, particularly
in Bordeaux, but also throughout many other wine growing countries that
try to emulate the Bordeaux greats. Perhaps the most enormous advantage
for this grape (or disadvantage, depending on your point of view) is that
its round fruitiness, lowish tannins and apparent sweetness make for a
wine that can be enjoyed very early in its development, unlike Cabernet
Sauvignon. Merlot is a definite underdog, but as with all underdogs, its
day of reckoning will come.
But more interesting than all this grape talk is how the movie has changed
wine-making in a much more significant way. Santa Barbara County has benefited
in many ways from the movie. Tourism has quadrupled and local producers
can't keep up with the demand for more Pinot than ever before. The craze
and insurgence of people visiting the area has the locals aghast. The Santa
Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau printed up some 40,000 copies of
their new edition, 'Sideways, the Map,' which lays out a tour of the film's
locations and the restaurants visited by Miles and Jack during the movie.
There is a six pack of wines featured in the film planned for release soon
- talk about taking all the romance and mystery out of a wine vacation!
On the downside, Merlot has suffered a serious blow from the single line
at the opening of this article, "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving.
I am not drinking any f-----g Merlot." But as with most press, 'any
press is good press 'and soon enough there will come along some great story
to trumpet the outstanding virtues of Merlot. Or perhaps I could pay a
tribute to this overlooked yet fundamental grape by selecting a few wines
for your next trip to your local wine merchant.
Whatever your feelings about Merlot or Pinot Noir, I think the movie is
definitely worth the rental. If anything, you will have an opportunity
to see the beautiful vineyard countryside of Santa Barbara and see wine
in a whole new light with Miles, your resident alcoholic sommelier; throw
in some gratuitous sex and you have the makings of a grand weekend!
All bottles are quoted in Canadian funds.
1. Merlot Private Selection Mondavi Central Coast, California, 2002, $19.95
Tasting notes: Offering a beautiful cherry-red color, this wine has an
attractively fruity nose of blackcurrant and raspberry, along with some
vegetal aromas reminiscent of green pepper. The palate reveals healthy
acidity, firm tannins, full texture and a lovely finish.
2. Merlot Cono Sur Reserve valle de colchagua, Chili, 2003, $16.60
Tasting notes: Notes of tobacco, green pepper, wood and cocoa on the nose.
Supple structure in the mouth. Merlot dominates this blend, augmented by
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Bouchet.
3. Merlot Fleur du Cap coastal region, South Africa, 2003, $16.60
Tasting notes: This merlot is a brilliant ruby red colour. It has an intense
nose of ripe fruit with nuances of mint. It has a rich concentrated taste
which gives it a very intense finish.
1. 657361, Vineland Estates Merlot, VQA, Ontario, 2002, $ 29.95
Despite some false starts in the spring, the summer of 2002 in Niagara
was long and hot with the warmth extending deep into the fall. This lengthy
growing season was a boon to Vineland's Merlot.
2. 330241, Sterling Merlot, Napa Valley, California, 2001, $28.95
Tasting notes: rich and jammy with plum, ripe berry, cherry nose. Full-bodied
ripe fruit centre with hints of spice and toasty oak. Long, full-flavoured
finish.
3. 9611227, Moueix Merlot, AC Bordeaux, Christian Moueix, Bordeaux, $14.95
Tasting notes: Soft and round with aromas of raspberry, cedar and blueberry.
Ripe fruit, great balance and a medium long finish.
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