Bringing Merlot Back – Episode #285

July 31, 2007

Gary is trying some Merlot and seeing if Hollywood was right to diss this grape!

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Comments on this episode(258) Leave a comment ›

“I wasn’t drinking wine when I first saw Sideways. When I did start, I…” by ulu ulu ulu ulu
“Bummer about the Souverain. Such a nice label.
QOTD: I wasn’t a hu…” by Phredd
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Falesco Merlot Dell UmbriaUmbria IGT
2004 Chateau Souverain MerlotSonoma Merlot
2004 Charles Creek Merlot PasatiempoOther California Merlot
2002 Beringer Howell Mountain Reserve Merlot Bancroft RanchNapa Merlot

Links mentioned in todays episode.

Oak Monster Tee

258 Responses

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August 2, 2007

LPapi
Did you guys see that second to last wine with the motor oil for “pallate training”… that would have been a disaster but worth it hahaa
August 2, 2007

LPapi
Woa Panoca you were quick on that, already sent him an email too… was laughing my ass of!
August 2, 2007

LPapi
Woa Panoca you were quick on that, already sent him an email too… was laughing my ass of!
August 2, 2007

Panoca
Gary, you were spectacular at Conan’s!!
Great moment!
You are universal now!!!!
August 2, 2007

YoungDave
QOTD: I started drinking wine after Sideways, but absolutely haven’t let it change my consumption (exept for buying less Pinot because it seems IMPOSSIBLE to find one at a decent price these days). I still make it a point to never buy the same bottle twice, and constantly seek out new varietals and wines from regions that I’ve never had wines from before. Without doubt, WLTV has affected my wine consumption (for the absolute better) than anything out of Hollywood.
August 2, 2007

TWofPasadena
G-
I’ve never really been a fan Merlot, even before Sideways. I never though it was bad, I just didn’t like the mouthfeel. My wife, on the other hand, has always really enjoyed it. HEY, it’s her birthday on Friday, so perhaps I’ll choose a good Merlot when we go out to dinner that night.:)

It’s 11:12pm in LA and I can’t stay up. I’ll be watching you on my Tivo tomorrow.
August 2, 2007

Swashbuckling Larry
well done. I’m glad to see the wrist band and keeping it fun with Conan, you didn’t tell him to give it a sniffy, sniff though. That Conan is TALL ! Did you chat up Ann Curry to possibly get on the Today show ??
August 2, 2007

steve
Gary,,, Loved Conan on you tonight! I didn’t really get it and i drink wine all the time, but it was hillarious!
August 2, 2007

PattyO
Gary – the palate training with Conan had me crying. Seriously (my husband and my 15 year old were crying too!). Conan spitting the rock was as good as it gets. Good job Gary – you stayed real EVEN in the late night spotlight.
August 2, 2007

Abel
Nice job tonight!!!! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Looking forward to the report tomorrow……..later today.
August 2, 2007

Marc
Math: GaryV + Conan O’Brien = Awesomeness. That was great to watch.
August 2, 2007

Mudd
Hey Gary loved the Conan episode. I expect you’ll give us a full report tomorrow. Kudos!
August 2, 2007

wtvLurker
holy shit, gary on conan was too funny.
August 2, 2007

Scottymatt
Sideways movie alright (88 points), Book/Novel by Pickett brilliant (98 points) . Neither changed my wine drinking habits. Have always disliked merlots unless from Bordeaux Right Bank (Pomerol, St- Emilion, ect) or Tuscany (Bolgheri). In my experience the variety lets you down on the finish-drops offâ€¦..unless wine maker adds other ‘depth’ varieties (Cabernet Franc) or worse the Oak Monster— like the last wine you tasted.
Good luck tonight Gary.
August 2, 2007

Kopi Luwak
I haven’t read all the comments…Has anyone pointed out that in Sideways the protagonist’s favorite wine was Cheval Blanc? And that is what, like 60% Merlot? The point of the whole “I’m not drinking merlot” thing was about character development. He was a self-loathing knucklhead trying to come to grips with his life. It was A MOVIE. Jeez. Also, I read that Christian Moieux was approached with the script. The writers wanted to use Petrus (100% Merlot… are you getting it?) but Moieux turned them down so they went with Cheval Blanc instead.

Gary, you, with a little bit of Conan, and some bitchen action figures, are changing the wine world.
August 2, 2007

luvgrapesqeezings
Correction: He does mention terrior, but he doesn’t emphasize location, varietal and wine making working together sufficiently.
August 2, 2007

luvgrapesqeezings
Message for Randy B.: According to David Peppercorn’s book “Wines of Bordeaux” Chateau Cheval Blanc is a blend of 60% cab franc, 37% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1% Cab sauvignon. I strongly suspect that these percentages change from vintage to vintage and blender to blender (over generations). I’ve never tried Cheval Blanc, but I hear that it many regard it as a cab franc based wine.
Miles affinity/obsession for pinot noir along with his comment “I’m not drinking any F’ning Merlot” did change the market drastically. It’s too bad we did not see Miles relish anything other Pinot and the Fiddlehead Sauv.Blanc, (yea we saw him enjoy some Syrah too). It’s too bad and ironic that the chain of events in the movie did not amplify his comments on how he “likes all varietals, but he does not like how they are minipulated”. Maybe the writer of the screenplay is more to blame because it does not back up what the character says. Suprisingly Miles did not mention the notion of terrior in the movie. I’m sure that if someone poured him some Leonetti from Washington or Petrus from Pomerol he would drink that F’ing merlot. For whatever it’s worth, I think the filmaker did a pretty good job for establishing Miles as a round, psychologically interesting character, but fell short on presenting him as being a well rounded enthusiast that his comments suggests he is.
August 2, 2007

Tommy Vernieri
Sideways didn’t affect my Merlot drinking but I have warmed up to Pinot Noir. It hasn’t necessarily been a good thing because I usually end up with $10 bottles that aren’t very good, but it’s nice to try different stuff.
August 1, 2007

markfarrell22
Gary-

Thanks for the Oak Monster piece. Very helpful.

I was a big merlot fan before Sideways. In fact merlot is what got me into wine. When I saw Sideways if anything it increased my consumption of merlot, maybe because I didn’t really enjoy the flick. The most annoying side effect of the movie were people who obviously knew very little about wine, acting like they were wine snobs because they liked pinot.

I would say my pinot consumption decreased while the merlot consumption increased, just to be different than the lemmings. I suppose that makes me no better though.
August 1, 2007

manic
Your palate should be the only factor determining your wine preferences…nuff said!
August 1, 2007

Peter
comparing bad merlot to the mollydooker line up??? – I guess I will dump my blue eyed boy. I liked the movie, and if Paul G can make it with the blond, there is hope for us all. Looking forward to your TV show tonight!
August 1, 2007

FredinNYC
QOTD: My taste in wine was not affected by the movie. Besides, the “Merlot” bashing was all a big joke: Giamatti’s prize possession in the movie is a 1961 Cheval Blanc, which he ends up drinking alone in a styrofoam cup at a burger joint. Isn’t Cheval Blanc a Merlot?
August 1, 2007

Daniel O
Pinot Noir was my favorite red wine long before I saw Sideways. In fact, I didn’t even know I was a pinot noir fan until I found out that red Burgundies are pinot noirs!

I find it amusing that a lot of people are not aware of the irony of Sideways… everyone knows that Miles goes on this rant about Merlot, but only a few realize that Chateau Cheval-Blanc, the wine he drinks at the end and has a great deal of respect for, is an “assemblage” of mostly Cabernet Franc and MERLOT!
August 1, 2007

AndrewB
Hey Gary, QOTD: I was only 21 when Sideways came out and wasn’t all that into wine but my first wine I was into was Chianti only becuase Da Vinci has a Chinati named after him and I was a sucker for that, and then I saw Sideways and got bit by the Pinot bug, but that’s what I know I really like, especially cause I can srink most Pinots (as a red wine) by itself. I also must mention that I had several bad impressions of the few inexpensive merlots I did try. I’m sure you can understand how a wine drinker can be a Sangiovese and Pinot Noir fan above other things. But that’s me. I still havn’t tried a Brunello! They’re too expensive!
August 1, 2007

CoryS
Oak monster: hahahhhahahha. Well, those guys in Chile can do the oak solid, but agree that many others don’t need to hide behind it.

QOTD – Started as a true Classic Chianti a decade ago and am happy to stay real and not trendy a la ‘Niors.

C to the GV, peace out!