The red grape variety originates from France. The name is probably derived from the French word for blackbird (merle), because these birds like to snack on the berries, which are very sweet when fully ripe. However, the name may also be an allusion to the black-blue colouring of the berries, similar to the bird. There are over 60 synonyms that testify to its worldwide distribution. The most important are Alicante, Alicante Noir, Begney, Bigney, Bigney Rouge, Bini, Black Alicante, Blue Merlot, Bordeleze Belche, Bordò, Cabernet del Cleto, Crabutet, Crabutet Noir, Crabutet Noir Merlau, Hebigney, Higney, Lambrusco Munari, Médoc Noir, Merlau Rouge, Merlaud, Merlot Black, Merlot Blau, Merlot Crni, Merlot Nero, Merlot Noir, Merlott, Merlou, Picard, Pikard, Plant Médoc, Saint Macaire, Sémillon Rouge, Vidal and Vitraille.

Origin

The first mention of Crabutet Noir dates back to the 14th century. It was first mentioned as Merlau or Merlot in 1784 in the Libournais region and was one of the most important Bordeaux varieties at the time. In the Italian region of Veneto, the variety was mentioned in 1855 under the synonym Bordò. The first complete description was made by Victor Rendu (1809-1877) in 1857 in his work "Ampélographie Française".

Ancestry

According to DNA analyses last carried out in 2021, Merlot is the result of a presumably natural cross between Magdeleine Noire des Charentes x Cabernet Franc. Merlot should not be confused with the Carmenère, Menoir or Saint-Macaire varieties, despite some synonyms and morphological similarities.

As Carmenère and Merlotr are very similar in appearance, vines imported Überseefrom...