Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

I promise this is the last time I will begin a column about merlot with a reference to the 2004 movie "Sideways," in which Miles, the wine snob, speaks disparagingly about the wine. Miles preferred pinot noir, and there were reports that merlot sales fell and pinot noir sales rose in the wake of the movie.

Well. Blackstone Winery, a California maker of merlot, just commissioned the Nielsen Co. to survey U.S. wine consumers, and came to these conclusions:

Nearly 45 percent of those surveyed never saw the movie, and 95 percent of those who did say it had no effect on their attitude toward merlot.

More than half of U.S. merlot drinkers are consuming more merlot than they did before the film.

So there.

Another survey firm, the Wine Council, says merlot these days is the third most popular wine among American drinkers, making up 11 percent of sales, trailing cabernet sauvignon at 12 percent and chardonnay at 22 percent.

And this much I will say: U.S. merlot, after a rough patch in the 1990s when it was planted too plentifully in too many places, has got its moxie back. It is again the kinder, gentler alternative to monster wines like cabernet sauvignon, easier to drink by itself, better with lean cuts of beef, roast chicken, spaghetti with meat sauce, even salmon.

Merlot makers are going to a lot of trouble to make it this way. They're making wines that are about 85 percent merlot, and adding backbone and complexity with small quantities of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, shiraz, petite sirah, syrah, ruby cabernet, malbec and other red grapes.

You can see they're having fun.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2007 Blackstone Winery Merlot Sonoma Reserve, Sonoma (85 percent merlot, 7 percent cabernet sauvignon, 6 percent ruby cabernet, 2 percent petit verdot): hint of oak aroma, flavors of black plums and mocha, smooth and hearty; $20.

2007 Freemark Abbey Merlot, Napa Valley (80 percent merlot, 11 percent cabernet sauvignon, 9 percent petit verdot): blackberry and black coffee aromas and flavors, full-bodied, rich and smooth, long finish; $25.

RECOMMENDED

2006 Franciscan Estate Merlot, Napa Valley (99 percent merlot, 1 percent cabernet sauvignon): Black cherry and vanilla aromas and flavors, smooth and rich; $22.

2007 Clos du Bois Merlot, North Coast (91 percent merlot, 4 percent cabernet sauvignon, 3 percent malbec, 2 percent shiraz): soft, rich, intensely fruity black cherry and mocha aromas and flavors, smooth with ripe tannins; $15.

2007 Blackstone Winery Merlot Winemaker Select, California (86 percent merlot, 10 percent syrah, 3 percent cabernet sauvignon, 1 percent zinfandel): black cherry and black pepper aromas and flavors, smooth and rich; $12.

2007 Estancia Merlot, Central Coast: aromas and flavors of blackberries and cinnamon, rich and smooth; $12.

2008 Robert Mondavi Merlot Private Selection, California (89 percent merlot, 6 percent petite sirah, 3 percent syrah, 2 percent cabernet sauvignon): black plum and black coffee aromas and flavors, firm tannin, crisp acid; $11.

2008 Simi Merlot Sonoma County (94 percent merlot, 5 percent malbec, 1 percent cabernet sauvignon): Black raspberry and dark chocolate aromas and flavors; big, ripe tannins; $19.

Note: An early May column misstated the price of the 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley. It's $20.

Tags: Beef Roast, Black Coffee, Blackstone Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chicken Spaghetti, Cuts Of Beef, Flavors, Lean Cuts Of Beef, Malbec, Meat Sauce, Napa Valley, Nielsen Co, Petite Sirah, Roast Chicken, Rough Patch, Ruby Cabernet, Small Quantities, Survey Firm, Wine Consumers, Wine Council