California's Mishandling of Merlot

  First, addressing the big question when anyone says "Merlot," did Sideways ruin Merlot? No, certainly not single-handedly, but the movie helped its fall. Merlot is the great mistake of the California wine business.

Milo's prized bottle from Sideways
A blend of mostly Merlot

  Merlot is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux. It's often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to help soften the harsh tannins. Plus, Bordeaux Cabs tend to be herbal where Merlot has lots of red fruit.

  Outside the U.S. you don't find much Merlot as a single varietal. California overplanted Merlot at the beginning of the premium wine boom in the 1970s, then again after the French Paradox episode on 60 Minutes in 1991 that linked red wine to a healthy heart. Americans turned to Merlot because it was soft and drinkable, plus relatively inexpensive.

  I said California started planting more Merlot after the French Paradox aired, but it takes many years for the wines to actually get to market. In the meantime, all sorts of mediocre Merlot was bottled from wherever winemakers could find grapes. Perhaps some premium vineyards were now being pruned for quantity, not quality. 

  Prior to 1991 most wine labeled as Merlot came from Napa and Sonoma. After 1991 it came from the San Joaquin Valley where it had previously been blended into cheaper wines. Merlot had gotten so popular so fast, and that reduction in quality halted the rise in demand. Then the release of Sideways added to the woe of Merlot sales.

A couple long-time producers
of Merlot in Sonoma County

  So there were multiple factors that hurt Merlot in the U.S. 1) Making it as a single varietal rather than blending. 2) Pushing mediocre Merlot at premium prices from the Central Valley of California trying to keep up with demand in the 1990s. 3) The movie Sideways.

  I don't give Sideways as much "credit" as some because of what California had already done to the wine. If #1 and #2 in the previous paragraph had not happened, then #3 would not have happened either.

  If you wish to read more here's an interesting article on Merlot Mania from the Wine Enthusiast written in 2001.  Basically, the guys interviewed said they were done with California Merlot.