QOTD: I’ve always liked Merlot and I loved Sidweways. You have to keep in mind that the lead character in the movie is a world-class neurotic. So it makes sense that he would love that very neurotic grape, Pinot Noir. IMHO, the fact that he trashed Merlot was a point in Merlot’s favor. I’ve recently been finding some really nice Merlots from my neighborhood (Washington state)for under $15.

QOTD: Wasn’t drinking much Merlot,, started in on the PN though because, let’s face it, YOU COULDN’T READ ABOUT ANY DAMN THING ELSE for about 6 months after the movie. So sure, “hey, maybe I should look into this”. And as others have said, “thank you Sidways, without you and the hype I would have never known thee”
🙂 Break a Leg, GV 🙂

Merlot can be a very serious wine if made properly. Example in point is Petrus. Merlot is also a great blending grape bringing the thunder to the mid palatte of Cabernet Sauvignon and adds a silkiness and complexity to fine red wine. When a dollop of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot are added you have the classic bordeaux blend and a very interesting wine.

I really think it is a shame that people can be convinced so heavily by a movie rather than their own palatte. I believe the impact of the movie is out of control. Many vineyards are pulling up Merlot vines and replacing them with Pinot Noir. The higher the demand for the grape, the higher price the grower can command. All over a movie, you’ve got to be kidding.

As you know Pinot is a very finicky and fickled grape. It is a nightmare for the winemaker because it is unpredictable. Shame on Hollywood for bastardizing a wonderful grape such as Merlot, which has great merit.

QOTD: I am thankful for “Sideways”. My merlot consumption has gone way up – from about 1/20th of my total wine consumption to about 1/10th. The lower prices have made it much more worth it. I wish Hollywood would make a movie that trashed Bordeaux and Piedmont!!!!

Have fun tomorrow!

QOTD: I saw the movie and was totally unimpressed with the movie and its message. Until 7-8 years ago I never bought Pinot Noir because I didn’t know what to pair it with. The best one I ever tried was the “J”. It goes with everything. For the passed 2 days I have been drinking Rapidan River Pinot Noir 1996 from Virginia. Today I had it with goat cheese and lamb chops. It was perfect and had one of the smoothest finishes I can remember. I had been avoiding it for over a year because I thought it would probably be junk. You never can tell. Jerry the 2THDR

Sorry, I’m still a newbie, but what is 29 on the chalkboard behind Gary for?

(I like Givrey” Sous la Roache Merlot”.)

qotd: I was drinking merlot before Sideways, and I have continued to drink it after… why? because there are some damn good merlots out there, that’s why! the movie is just an illustration of two very disfunctional humans, and that’s what makes it a brilliant movie.

I gotta ask myself, “Does Berenger think that using a ton of new oak to cover a mediocre wine justify the price tag?” Marketing, ego, mission statement, or what is involved in their winemakers decision making?

Loved the movie Sideways, but it had zero impact on my Merlot & Pinot consumption.

Me, just starting to taste wine for about 3 or 4 months now, was wondering… is White Merlot a respected wine or is it just another white Zin?

OK, When I first saw that movie, with the one great line “f—ing merlot” I have to admit, I sank in my seat and said to myself, what — What — WHAT the hell is wrong with merlot you stupid bald little son of a . . . .

Sorry, I can get a little loose at times. But you should of seen my wife, standing up on the backs of those theater chairs with both birds ablazing singin “die you merlot hating sack of. . . . .”, then she busted out her bag of grapes and started slinging them at the screen with her sling shot (wrist rocket, yeah you know). . . .

I lift my let on sideways…… and on O-Brian’s hair. OK, sorry, that was mean. I have the gold wrapped, extra extended, wide-screen version on my nightstand. . . . . I bought in on WL.com

Good luck tommorrow

I had too much good merlot from St. Emillion, Italy, Greece, Californy and Washington State before the movie to be entirely closed off to it like the movie’s protagonist. However, there was a large enough ocean of high yield, plonky merlot out there to turn off most anyone if they did not have good merlot. It’s fun to watch merlot naysayers in a blind tasting enjoy it! I’m a bit concerned about the amount of oak flavors in many wines where vanilla and cedar flavors mute the fruit.
It would be cool to learn more about old/new oak and how different degrees of grain fineness and types of oak effect wines (French oak vs Missouri oak vs. Slovenian oak etc…)

Thanks for covering merlot.
QOTD – My wine consumption has been INDIRECTLY impacted by Sideways. First, I will drink Merlot – but there was (is) a fair amount of bad merlot out there – often vegetal or fake. Sideways did not make merlot go away and – if you look in the right places – you can find some very good merlot. Did someone say “Pomerol”? Yes, I did!
Where Sideways did impact me is on the Pinot side. It might have had an impact on the availability of good Pinot. My wine store carries much more Pinot today than it did a few years ago. The availability of more Pinot is what has indirectly impacted my wine drinking. More good Pinot available means more good Pinot to taste. If Sideways “changed the wine world” by making more good quality Pinot available for me to drink, then so be it. I’m down wit dat.

Great episode.

QOTD: My wife and I are still relative wine newbs but we were frequently buying wines by the case (variety cases of course!) before Sideways. While we love some Pinot Noir, I mean who doesn’t, we most definitely stick up for merlot. It is amazing how much hate there is for merlot among people who really don’t drink much wine beyond Yellow Tail and Kendall Jackson. When you ask them why they never really have any reason. It reminds me of how my wife, like me, loves vodka tonics but she swears she hates gin. I told her I was making a v&t but of course was making a gin and tonic with a good French gin that is strong in juniper flavor, Citadelle. I tell her the v&t tastes great and she should sample. She of course loves it and asks what I did differently. She was not too happy when I pointed out I simply used gin instead of vodka. People are hardcore in preconceived notions and it needs to stop!

You know, without all the wine Sideways would have been a damned depressing flick. It made me want to crack a bottle, but that was about it. Besides, I’d rather have Cab Franc anyway, so what do I know.

In fact, I think I picked up some of the last Charles Creek merlot you did a show about … a little sweeter and oakier than I would have preferred, but all that aside still a really nice wine, esp. for Cali in that price range.

Oh, and then I discovered this thing called Bordeaux …

You know, without all the wine Sideways would have been a damned depressing flick. It made me want to crack a bottle, but that was about it. Besides, I’d rather have Cab Franc anyway, so what do I know.

In fact, I think I picked up some of the last Charles Creek merlot you did a show about … a little sweeter and oakier than I would have preferred, but all that aside still a really nice wine, esp. for Cali in that price range.

Oh, and then I discovered this thing called Bordeaux …

Gary on Conan ??? who would have thought that ??? Oh wait, let’s check out my comment from Episode #259 in mid June:

“Good Episodeâ?¦blah, blah, blahâ?¦letâ??s talk about the new ad in the new Wine Spectator !!! Nice Pub !!! Weâ??ll be seeing GV on Conan or the Today Show before too long. Forget LeBron, we are all witnesses to GV blowing up !!!”

Would you like my prediction for the Jets this season too ? 😉

QOTD: Wasn’t a big Merlot drinker before but probably have been influenced more than I realize as I don’t even seek it….but that’s one of the great things about wine….For example you can be ‘into’ blends and seek out that aspect. Then maybe you are on a cab streak for a while. Then maybe you get into a specific region……I love this about wine and am sure I’ll get Merlot back into the mix soon.

QotD : No it didn´t. I do feel not just a little bit like Miles quite often.

Hope you have a good time at Conan. Good Luck

Swedish T

Actually, sideways didn’t have much to do with it, since it came out a few years before I started drinking wine, but actually WLTV has changed my merlot drinking. It has changed my merlot drinking in the same way it has changed all my other wine drinking, in that I don’t drink much califonria wine anymore. I was really into big aussi shirazes for a while there, but I got really tired of the huge new world hi-c mixed with vodka. Now that you’ve opened my mind to new regions and varietals, I’m drinking wines from argentina, south africa, spain, new zealand, and for my merlots, I’m all old world – Pomerol and St. Emilion. California really doesn’t do much for me anymore – the oak monster has too much power, and from a QPR standpont, I’ll take off-the-beaten-path wines over cali anyday.

I live near the sideways ava and have gone there a lot off and on for 10-15 years. Last saturday too! Have tasted a lot of pinots and syrahs in the area for free(not anymore) or for $5 at the wineries. For me before sideways, it was usually, what’s better? their pn, syrah, chard or sauv blanc. I liked big reds more then so i leaned to syrah.

Went to napa/sonoma for a little tour, had some fun, and got pretty tipsy. I eventually grew tired of the cab merlot zin chard thing over and over so I said to my mate, “I think I like our S.B county wines better than these”. She was on a merlot pilgrimage… gave me a look, and said nothing.

One Napa pourer, upon finding out where we were from, said, “what are you doing here? SB county wines are hot” Her comments were made pre-sideways.

The point? Two people in this story echoed Miles’ sentiment but to much lesser degrees. How many more were there?

I loved the movie, it was certainly made up, but also based on life around here. Also thought it was very un-hollywood in it’s dealing with the lizard brain. Too bad merlot was a victim but I ain’t cryin’ Also liked “A good year” and hope that Gary will someday review “Le coin perdu”. Ha!

QOTD: Yeh, it changed me, made me appreciate more what we have here… Actually it sucks, don’t buy it! Also made me think, correct me if I’m wrong, merlot should be blended.

Wow, the Conan bit was classic! Thanks for the laugh; I’ll be watching you live tomorrow for sure!

QOTD: Honestly, I’m mainly a post-Sideways wine drinker. But Miles only got me started. It was Gary who hooked me.

99 points sign off gv….and really liked the show! Forgot to congradulate you on the Conan Show so CONGRADULATIONS! QOTD – Weighs subconciously on my decisions…

Buy the way the movie 300 rocks!!!!

Sideways was an entertaining movie but it didn’t affect my preferences. In fact, like a lot of folks I’m sure, it made me mad. I was a big Pinot fan before then but after that movie, prices rose big time, although it is fair to note that they were already on the rise. There was a buzz on the street, particularly about the increasing quality of Cali pinot, before that movie came out. So you can’t totally blame it on that movie. I never was a huge Merlot drinker before than. And actually I could probably argue that since that movie came out, I’ve actually bought more Merlot than ever before. I’ve noticed an increase in my interest in right bank, Merlot-based wines as well high quality Merlot out of Italy. Meanwhile with each new Cali and Oregon vintage, I curse under my breath. Oregon Pinots that used to be had at $20 or under are now $30 and over. Whatchagonnado?! Watch more WLTV I guess. Looking forward to seeing you on Conan. I know you’re gonna “bring the thunder!”

By pure coincidence, I have had the opportunity to spend a little time with both Bill Walsh and Tom Snyder and I must say that regardless of how much they excelled in their field, they were first and foremost great men. Two big losses.

QOTD: I have often chuckled that I should have written the ‘Sideways’ screenplay, inasmuch as I was not a fan at all of (California) merlot, yet have spent a quarter century searching for better California/Oregon pinot noir. Sideways may have driven the price of pinot noir up, but it has been great for helping get boutique producers off the ground. In the end, Sideways put a public face on my personal preferences and didn’t really change a thing, except perhaps my desire to seek out new red varietals as the prices of pinot noirs have continued to climb.