Sideways Effect News Today

In the first of their new column about wine in Charlotte, Kara Daly and Jerry Chandler wonder where things went wrong for Merlot.

Host Willa Paskin returns with juicy new questions and some surprising answers.

Merlot is widely planted but misunderstood. Get Merlot wine tasting tips and learn the differences in bottles from France, Chile and beyond.

About Merlot Merlot is a red grape grown throughout the world, but most often associated with the fine wines of Bordeaux, particularly in the right bank regions of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. In the vineyard, Merlot ripens early and its grapes are large and thin-skinned. It is susceptible to frost, rot, downy mildew and coloure (shot berries). Merlot wines tend to be plump and full bodied, with soft fruit flavors. Merlot is the progeny of two grapes, Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Cha...