3 Myths About Merlot and the Movie Sideways

Quick! Recite a quote from the movie Sideways about Merlot. Good job if your quote was, "I'm not drinking any f*cking Merlot!" Here's 3 things you might not know about that infamous statement by Miles:

Merlot was Miles' ex-wife's favorite wine – The movie doesn't give context to why Miles so emphatically rejected the idea of drinking Merlot. It wasn't because he didn't like Merlot, it was because it was his ex-wife's favorite wine.

Miles' Special Bottle Was Merlot Based — At the end of the movie when he goes to the burger stand after the wedding and brings his 'special' bottle of Cheval Blanc he had been saving, it was a Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominated wine.

Merlot is Inferior — Miles loves Pinot Noir, which grows plentifully in the Santa Barbara region near his house. There are over 8,000 grape varietals in the world but most wine lovers are aware of only a handful. Merlot is the main grape in some of the most collectable wines in the world including Le Pin and Petrus from Bordeaux and is Cabernet Sauvignon's BFF blended in with many wines on the domestic market.

In the month of October wine lovers will have a chance to discover new Merlot wines, meet wine makers and find new cooler weather recipes to make with Merlot. Just follow the #MerlotMe hash tag online.