Extremely popular, early ripening Merlot grapes are native to Bordeaux.
When grown in a cool climate the aroma of these grapes are raspberry and plum; if
grown in a hot climate their aroma is more like black fruits, cooked fruit and
jam. Merlot grapes are dark-colored and have the potential to produce medium to
full-bodied wine with medium acidity and soft tannins.
Merlot grapes are very suitable for maturation in oak barrels, during which the
oak imparts the aromas of toasted bread, coffee, vanilla etc. As the wines age
the aromas of tobacco and cedar trees, earthy aromas begin to develop. This
grape, when blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, gives the resulting wine roundness,
elegance and body.
Good examples in world wine making are produced in Bordeaux-St.Emillion and
Pomerol, Italy-Tuscany, Australia and California.
In our country, Merlot grapes are grown in the Aegean Region. These grapes, first
planted in 1993 - 1994 in Izmir’s Çeşme District, were brought as cuttings from
France and as wild saplings from Turkey. The vast majority of the vineyards in
the region are located on hillside fields that face south. The marn soil is
composed of clay and lime and is stony.
Merlot grapes are grown on Kavaklıdere’s Aegean Pendore Vineyards, where the
climate is a combination of Mediterranean and continental due to the fact that
Pendore is in a transitional region.
Egeo Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot is a blend wine, matured in French oak barrels,
produced from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Ancyra Merlot is a varietal
wine produced from solely Merlot wine grapes. Angora Red is also a blend wine
produced from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.