Easy to drink. The softness of Merlot has made it an "introducing" wine for new red-wine drinkers. Food pairings: any will do. Districts: a key player in the Bordeaux blend, merlot is now also grown in Italy, Romania, California, Washington State, Chile, Australia, etc. It is the fourth wine grape variety in terms of coverage worldwide (after sultanine blanche, airen blanc, and grenache noir). Typical taste in varietal wine: typical scents include blackcherry, plums and herbal flavors. The texture is round but a middle palate gap is common. The Merlot type of wine is less tannic (rough) than Cabernet Sauvignon.