History of Merlot Wine

Merlot wine comes from France

The History of Merlot wine can be traced back all the way back to the first century in France. And throughout the history of Merlot Wine, it has picked up many additional names.

Merlot wine has many names

Other names for Merlot around the world include: Petit Merle, Vitraille, Crabutet Noir and Bigney. In a further twist of mistaken identity, DNA profiles reveal that some wines from Chile labelled as Merlot come from a vine called Carmenère or Grand Vidure. This story on it’s own is fascinating so see the note at the end of this article.

Bordeaux region - Merlot wine famous home

Throughout the history of Merlot the most famous home for this wine is the Bordeaux region of France. Approximately forty percent of the wine grapes grown in the Medoc region (which is actually world-famous for Cabernet).

Merlot Wine is popular wine

Merlot can be found in several countries. It can be found even as far as in Russia. It came to California in the mid-1860s and has become one of the most popular wines since its surge in popularity in the 1990s.