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“Beer is made by men, wine by God”. Martin Luther
I hope you enjoyed my other article about Cuvee Laurent Perrier Rose and you’re now thirsty for more! I’m planning to entertain you with one or two wine/champagne articles a month which should also encourage me to explore new wine libraries across the world and discover some hidden gems.
Every continent displays a desire, even an obsession, to produce the finest wines. Today I’m going to leave behind the traditional vineyards of Europe, represented in particular by France, but also by Italy and Spain and head to California, specifically Napa Valley. Did you know that 90% of all American wine is grown in California? Napa Valley accounts for only 4% of the wine produced in California but for many it is a symbol in itself of California wine.
The wine I have chosen to embrace with you today is a BERINGER Merlot. I came across Beringer for the first time during my trip to Antigua back in 2013. What at first seemed to be just another house wine served in an all-inclusive resort turned out to be one of the best wines I have ever had the pleasure to taste and it remains my favourite to this day.
A bit of history
Beringer has been Napa Valley’s benchmark producer since its establishment in 1876. Chinese workers were employed to hand-chisel rock tunnels that were to be used for the storage and aging of wines. Although these tunnels took many years to complete, they’ve turned out to be an excellent facility to this date. Beringer Vineyards continue to house and age fine wines today, in these fantastic tunnels built years ago. For those who would like to explore a bit more about the wonderful heritage of Beringer’s family and their Napa Valley vineyards I recommend you visit their website.
Merlot Characteristics
So without further adieu let’s dive right into the world of Beringer Merlot. What a truly majestic wine it is! All those years of pursuing balance between modern technology and time-tested winemaking traditions, has resulted in Beringer wines of global recognition.
The Merlot specifically has a tremendous body, complex layers of black fruit, and a supple, lingering finish. Full of espresso and dark cherry aromas that lead into rich ripe black fruit flavours with hints of cedar and orange rind, brown spice and mint. Grapes for the California Collection Merlot are picked at the peak of maturity to maintain the fruit’s rich, ripe flavors in the finished wine.
California Merlots tend to be more fruit-forward, with lots of raspberry and blackberry, cut with strong mocha and chocolate notes. The tannin tends to be softer in such warm climates.
Merlot benefits hugely from some barrel time, and leaving it to sit in oak for up to 24 months can add a huge amount of depth and complexity to the wine, and balance out some of the zealous fruit with oak and vanilla. This does the trick for me! I’m obsessed with wines that contain that subtle hint of vanilla combined with beautiful dark cherry and raspberries aromas.
Winemaking
Small amounts of petite Sirah and Syrah are added for complexity and depth of flavors. Half of the wine is aged in seasoned French, American and Hungarian oak to add toastiness and hints of brown spice to the final blend.
Food pairing
It’s well-balanced, soft tannis make this wine a perfect accompaniment to a variety of foods, such as grilled meats or hearty vegetable dishes.
Merlot will work famously with a bit of roasted duck, some braised beef, grilled vegetables, or pasta with pesto.
Why not try the famous Beringer Gram Slam Skewers with a glass of Merlot
- Ingredients:
- 2 lbs.Sirloin steak
- 2 lbs.Seasonal vegetables
- 1/2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Beringer Founders’ Estate Merlot
- 1 sprig each Thyme, rosemary, oregano
- 5 heads Garlic
- 12-18 Wooden skewers
- Preparation
- Soak skewers in water for 20 minutes
- In a blender, puree garlic, herbs, wine, olive oil, and vinegar until thoroughly mixed
- Dice steak and seasonal vegetables into similarly sized cubes
- Alternately place meat and vegetables onto wooden skewers
- Let skewers marinate in herb mixture for at least 1 hour (12 hours maximum), turning every 30 minutes
- Preheat grill to high
- Remove skewers from marinade and let rest for 15 minutes
- Grill skewers until vegetables are charred on the outside and steak is cooked to preference.
Glasses and Serving
Red wine glasses are a bit taller and have a larger bowl than white wine glasses. In general reds are bigger and bolder wines so they require a larger glass to allow all those aromas and flavors to emerge. Red wine tastes better when served slightly below room temp. from 53-69 °F (light red wines like Pinot Noir taste better at the cooler end of the spectrum)
Decant your wine
“Decanting” simply means that you are pouring your wine from the bottle into another receptacle allowing the wine to aerate and breathe.
This can help enhance the flavor of the wine. Merlot should be decanted for approximately 2 hours.
Shopping
It can be quite challenging to find Beringer, specifically Merlot, available to buy in the UK and if so – it usually comes at quite a high price per bottle and a fairly hefty delivery cost. However, recently I managed to purchase some Beringer Merlot after months and months of online hunting! And it happened to be in the most unexpected place, Cancun, Mexico. The hotel we stayed at during our recent trip to Mexico, the Secrets the Vine, organises daily wine tasting and this is where we met the sommelier who recommend us a place called Vinoteka.
Fairly sceptical, we went to downtown Cancun expecting nothing more than a run-down shop with a couple of shelves of wine. How astonishing it was to arrive at the fine wine library that offered the whole range of Beringer! I thought I’d add some photos of the Vinoteka if you ever decided to pop in while on holiday in Cancun. There are so many beautiful hidden gems throughout Cancun and this place is one of them if you enjoy a glass of good wine.
Thank you for reading and please share your experiences with Beringer, the more the merrier!
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Typically I’m a spirits drinker- and hardly ever touch wine- but I’d rather like to try this one! Sharing it with my wine loving other half as well <3
I am not what I would call a wine lover but Merlot is my favorite. As I am more an expert when it comes to Single Malt Whisky I guess it is good that you close my gap in education here.
I can tell that you have spent a great deal of time on this blog. I love how you express your views and felling for wine. I personally do not drink wine but I do enjoy absorbing how people feel about topics which they find of great interest. Also, have you considered a post on cheese?
Very interesting post for all wine lovers!
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thank you lovely xx
looks like a great wine collection!
xoxo
style frontier
I love you blog, you voice out what we all think! thank you for sharing xx
looks like a great wine collection
xoxo
style frontier
How nice you first tasted this wine while in Antigua – it must bring back some lovely travel-related memories for you!! 🙂
aglassofice.com
x
Interesting tips!
I love me some good Merlot! I’ve never tried this brand, but I might just have to now. Thanks so much for sharing, girl.
I’d love for you to check out my blog if you get a chance!
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What a perfect post for Friday! Maybe I’ll have a little wine tonight =P
xoxo
Rina Samantha
http://www.andshedressed.com
I really like your last blog post. Beautiful outfit and the scenery. Paris is such a lovely city with so much history xx
GREAT ! 😀
Thanks for sharing!,i love your blog
The pink Pineapple
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I always enjoy reading your red carpet posts. So many fabulous outfits!
I’ve had this wine and I love it!
x
Missy
http://popofstyle.com
LOVE that you’ve put together food to go with the wine!
Vivian | LIVE . IN . LOVE
IG | @viviyunn_
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I feel like I’ve definitely seen this brand. I also would have guess that more than 4% of wines come from Napa, that’s surprising! This wine sounds delicious… I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it.
xx Pia
http://gymbagsandjetlags.com
Thank you Hun! Great post about vitamins
excellent!
Nice weekend!
=)
New post in my Lifestyle Blog
Great holiday tips xx
Great post and tips!
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Great post babe<3 I need to try this! Im such a sucker for wine!
XO, Jessi
http://www.mywhitet.com/insta-worthy-spots-la/
What a great post! You are a stunner. Xx
This sounds awesome.
Vaishali
http://www.vivaciouswish.com/2017/07/05/travel-beauty-must-haves/
Interesting post … I like good wines, I like to discover new gems 😉 I won’t start with a list because it would be too long 😉
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Beautiful choice of shoes, as always. Really enjoyed your post xx
I love red wine and I’m always seeking for some new and unique brands. I’ve heard of Beringer but I’ve never tried their Merlot. I will have a browse around, thank you for sharing. Great info xo
This sounds so great!
xx
http://www.dylanasuarez.com
This is such a great and comprehensive post on Beringer ! I do love your slider with all the little facts about wines, it’s very educational!
All the references to the glasses, decanter, food pairing are brilliant and it’s great how you gathered all the info in this post.
Thank you for sharing
Yummy … a glass of wine 🍷 is something I look forward to every now and then! 🙂
Great post Beautiful! 🙂
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I’m a really lover of red wines but I don’t know this brand. It seems good. Californian wines are really good!!! Kisses from Italy and thank you for your visit,
Eni
Eniwhere Fashion
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