Merlove is a documentary celebrating Merlot wine in response to the movie Sideways.
Have the courage to embark on your own wine adventure. Merlove will help you learn more about wine, but it is your own experience that will guide your personal journey.
As you try new wines you will gain love and appreciation for the gifts that wine can bring. Like anything in life, wine can be enjoyed and enhanced by sharing it with others.
The bottom line is good wine is good wine and bad wine is bad wine, but that should not stop the adventure.
The message of Merlove is that no single grape varietal should be singled out as superior or inferior to others. Enjoy as we interweave documentary style filmmaking with the animation of a bottle of Merlot wine named “Merlove” who must find a way to fill itself with love when aimlessly tossed into the ocean of mediocre Merlot wine.
We want people to know that Merlot is ready to be loved again by all and remember that every vintage has a new story to tell.
An Australian wine that is from the Barossa Valley. A blend of 4 grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. On the nose, sweet cassis (Ribena) or black current cordial, black plum, cherry pipe tobacco, sweet dill and sweet black liquorice. Upon tasting, the above all came up with secondary nuances like coffee, cola, spice and dark chocolate. A forward, full body wine that has balanced acidity and structure. The tannin is fine. This comfort wine is a good expression of a new world fruit driven pseudo-style Bordeaux. The finish is long with a beautiful tingling feeling at the back of my throat. Rating (91-93 points).
Chateau de Carles is from Fronsac in right bank of Bordeaux. Fronsac is considered as a ‘minor’ region north west of two more famous communes west of Pomerol and St. Emilion. Here the main grapes are merlot and Cabernet Franc as to the predominant Cabernet Sauvignon in the left bank. 2003 was an usually hot year. Much merlot in the Pomerol region shut down during the summer months due to the intense heat but St. Emilion did. Also, many minor producers benefit from the heat producing ripe and plummy fruit. The Ch. de Carles was sold at Cad$23 - considered as a value buy. The wine has some vibrant red fruit (red cherry, red soft berry) intermixed with some earth, soil and barnyard characters. What came in tasting was it also carried some dark chocolate,ink block, graphite and licorice characters. The body was medium and soft. Not too complex but has reasonable solid structure. Drink up within the next 2-4 years. (Rating 86-88 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.
Wine Tasting Clip of Penfold’s Rawson’s Retreat Merlot 2006, from the Virtual Wine Tasting Event, ‘A Taste of Wine Relief’ held on 03 Mar 2007.
WINE: Penfold’s Rawson’s Retreat Merlot 2006
VINTAGE: 2006
PRODUCER: Penfold’s
GRAPES: Merlot
REGION: South Australia
COUNTRY: Australia
ONE WORD: Deep
TASTING: A definite crowd-pleaser. Very bright, purple colour with a bouquet of juicy red fruits and hints of spice from the oak. The palate has noticeable juicy cherries and plums with well-integrated oak and soft tannins.
FOOD MATCH: Superb roast beef, best spuds and huge yorkies - “Happy Days with the Naked Chef” by Jamie Oliver
