Merlot is a black grape variety originating from Gironde, in the southwest of France, particularly from the Bordeaux region, where it is blended with Cabernet to create some of the world’s most prestigious wines. In most wine-growing regions of the world, Merlot is invariably accompanied by Cabernet Sauvignon, with which it forms the blend known as the Bordeaux Blend. The two grape varieties complement each other perfectly: the former contributes a full, ripe fruitiness to the wine, while the latter, being more tannic, adds greater aristocracy and longevity. In the Bordeaux area, depending on the region, it is customary to add a percentage of Cabernet Franc to the wine composition, which, besides a fruity component, imparts pleasant herbaceous and vegetal sensations.

In Italy, Merlot arrived at the end of the 1800s in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and quickly spread to Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. In these areas, the Merlot grape variety found ideal environmental conditions, and it has since spread to many other regions, sometimes with surprising results, even without the addition of other grapes. A classic example is Tuscany, where the grape variety dominates the entire Tyrrhenian zone, especially in the clay soils of Val di Cornia and Bolgheri, where it contributes to the creation of wines known as Supertuscans, also based on the Bordeaux Blend. The wines produced in the area around Cortona (Cortona DOC) are also famous.

Merlot is a very early-ripening grape variety, characterized by the need for rich and fertile soil that retains water, preventing overly rapid ripening that could lead to excessive sugar concentrations and reductions in acid content. Additionally, the clay in these soils tends to compact during the hottest periods, cutting off the younger roots and avoiding the risk of excessive nutrition for the plant. Merlot is generally trained on a trellis system with bilateral or single Guyot pruning. The length of the pruning varies depending on the age of the vineyard and the characteristics of the soil, to allow for higher-quality production. The fermentation of Merlot wines mostly occurs in stainless steel or other inert containers like concrete, and maturation typically takes place in barrels, although the grape variety is also suitable for producing younger and more accessible wines, with characteristic fruity notes, aged only in stainless steel and best enjoyed young, within two to three years of being released.