Best merlot wine 2021: Fairtrade, British, European, American bottles and more

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

Australia – hot and sunny, right? Well not quite, and certainly not true of the orange wine region in New South Wales where winemaker Philip Shaw found what he felt were the perfect growing conditions: high altitude, cool continental climate and rich volcanic soils. Now with his sons Daniel and Damian in charge, the fruitful yields of this 900m-high vineyard, which enjoys chilly nights and distinct seasonal changes, are rich and rewarding.

The merlot, aged in French oak, has distinct black cherry and dark berry flavours with notes of cocoa and cloves and brisk but structured tannins. If Philip Shaw is the conductor, then in musical terms this is a symphonic triumph that deserves an encore.

Best: For a special occasion

Rating: 9/10

Winemaker Peter Franus sees it as his mission to restore merlot to its rightful stature as one of the truly great grape varieties. With that in mind, the grapes for this wine are grown in a single vineyard in Carneros, the cooler, southern section of California’s Napa wine region where Franus feels merlot can realise its true potential. The quantities produced are small, but the quality is high.

Huge but balanced flavours of plum, blackberry and dark fruit jostle with structured tannins and intriguing notes of woodsmoke and tobacco. It’s a serious wine with a price to match, but this sort of perfection never comes cheap.

Best: For a drink with friends

Rating: 8/10

The black magic invoked here by husband and wife winemaking team Gary and Kathy Jordan is less supernatural and more geological. The merlot grapes for this South African wine are nurtured in black tourmaline, a granite that gives the Stellenbosch terroir a darkness and warmth. The result is a merlot that with careful handling – including the use of gravity and gentle pressing – fully realises its rich potential. Sumptuous dark berry flavours are complemented by soft tannins and notes of cocoa and vanilla. Maturation in French oak adds that final velvety touch.

Best: For a midweek meal

Rating: 7/10

From the Colchagua Valley in central Chile, a full-bodied and smooth merlot from the winery established in 1996 as a partnership between the renowned Californian Robert G. Mondavi family and the established Chilean winery Viña Errázuriz. With a name, Caliterra, that is a fusion of the Spanish words “calidad”, meaning quality, and “tierra”, meaning land, there’s a focus on sustainability as well as quality from a vineyard that enjoys a Mediterranean-like climate. Fruit-driven, with concentrated dark plum and cherry flavours at the fore, it’s a great wine to enjoy with grilled or roasted beef and chicken.

Best: For a grilled supper

Rating: 8/10

“Respect the fruit” is the catchword of the Taylor family who have been producing wine next to the Wakefield river in South Australia’s Clare Valley for more than 50 years. The wine is most definitely as good as their word too, with lashings of plum, cherry and red-berry flavours allied to notes of vanilla and chocolate, all rounded off with velvet-like tannins. Matured in a mixture of French and American oak barrels for six months before being blended and bottled, it’s ready to drink now or can be kept for a few more years for an even more rounded flavour.

Best: To mark a memorable event

Rating: 9/10

Winemaker Marisa Taylor adopted an 18th-century technique for this 21st-century Californian merlot – adding syrah along with cabernet sauvignon to add structure, body and character to the blend. Capitalising as well on a terroir that resembles Pomerol, the original Bordeaux home of the merlot grape, the wine produced combines the best of the old and new world.

Aged for 16 months in French oak it has rich and structured dark fruit flavours with notes of pepper and spice and a long and satisfying finish. The family-owned vineyard’s philosophy is to make a Napa Valley merlot that is “supple and refined”. This one wins in both categories.

Best: To aid the community

Rating: 6/10

If you feel any guilt at opening a bottle of wine, then here’s something to alleviate it. Funds from the sale of this merlot from the La Riojana wine co-operative in Argentina’s Famatina Valley go towards a variety of local charitable projects including the construction of a clean-water facility and new secondary school. Fruity and forward with smooth tannins and satisfying long finish, it’s Fairtrade certified, traded and audited and sourced from Fairtrade producers. So simply enjoy a glass and think of all the good that it will bring.

Best: For a Sunday roast

Rating: 8/10

The Boschendal estate, about an hour away from Cape Town, is South Africa’s second oldest wine farm with a history of wine-making that stretches back to the 17th-century. But decades of disrepair took their toll and it’s only in the past five years that new investment and ecological advances have brought it back as a major player.

Now employing 550 people it produces wines such as this super smooth merlot with its delectable dark fruit and red cherry flavours rounded off by hints of chocolate and ultra-silky tannins. A product of the cool climate that characterises the Elgin wine region of the Western Cape, it’s a bottle to enjoy now or savour fully in two or three years’ time.

Best: For fruity flavours

Rating: 8/10

A merlot from a winery founded in California’s Napa Valley in 1976 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn (hence the avian name and label image) that’s renowned for its Bordeaux-varietal wines. Aged in oak it has bold and pronounced flavours of plum, cherry and blueberry, enhanced by notes of cocoa and spice. Smooth and full on the tongue, it’s a quality wine which would hugely benefit any meal involving roasted or grilled meat. It’s also worth decanting an hour or two before the meal to enjoy it at its best.

Best: Budget choice

Rating: 5/10

Well, here’s a surprise. A decent bottle of merlot for under £4. It may not have the trappings of its more illustrious competitors, but it’s come all the way from South Australia and has a relaxed and laid back style with enough jammy fruit flavours to please everyone. If you’re searching for a bottle to celebrate a special occasion, then perhaps look elsewhere, but if you want an easy-going wine for everyday use then this isn’t a bad choice.

Best: Everyday choice

Rating: 8/10

It’s in the New World that traditional Bordeaux varietals such as merlot have really prospered. This medium-bodied Chilean example is from Cachapoal near the western slopes of the Andes where the Mediterranean-like climate helps to produce smooth, eminently drinkable wines such as this. Aged in French oak for six months, there’s lots of fruit on the nose – think black cherry, plum and blackberry – plus notes of cocoa and vanilla.  A long finish and welcome tannins round things off nicely.