article_snippet.sent: — your supermarket bottle of plonk fresh from last year
article_snippet.sent: Can I turn a cheap plonk into a lovingly aged wine?
article_snippet.sent: For my test I choose a Bulgarian Merlot (Simply Merlot, Tesco £4.20).
article_snippet.sent: However, as with the French wines such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, Argentinian Melbecs, Australian Shirazes and, of course, the Spanish Rioja, once you add oak to a Merlot you are entering a whole new world — and price bracket.
article_snippet.sent: Merlots benefit hugely from being oak aged.
article_snippet.sent: All the natural freshness of the fruity young Merlot has disappeared.