Vintage Merlot

Vintage

In winemaking, vintage is the process of picking grapes to create wine. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and declare vintage Port in their best years. From this tradition, a common, though not strictly correct, usage applies the term to any wine that is perceived to be particularly old or of a particularly high quality.

Merlot

Merlot is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, make Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.

vintage

Noun

1. The yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard or district during one season.
2. Wine, especially high-quality, identified as to year and vineyard or district of origin.

Adjective

1. Of or relating to a vintage, or to wine identified by a specific vintage.
2. Having an enduring appeal; high-quality.

merlot

Noun

1. Alternative letter-case form of Merlot.