Find Your Wine Style.
Whether you want to make a single grape varietal wine or a blend, RJS Craft Winemaking kits are made with the finest juices and concentrates to make your favourite wine styles. Use our wine selector to learn more about wines you love and possibly discover new wines that might be your next favourite.
Merlot
The Grape
Merlot is a dark blue-coloured wine grape that is one of the world’s most planted grape varieties in both the old and new worlds. It is used both for single varietal wines and as a blending grape. It is best known as the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux wine region of France, and one of the primary grapes used to make Bordeaux style wines. Merlot grapes are identified by their loose bunches of large, thinner skin berries.
The Wines
Traditional Bordeaux style Merlot wines are usually medium-bodied with medium to high acidity and fresh, red fruit flavours. New world style Merlots, where grapes are allowed to ripen longer, feature fruitier flavours and tend to be fuller in body with higher alcohol. Merlot wines are a good choice for people trying to get accustomed to drier, more complex red wines because their lower tannins make them easier to drink than other reds wines.
The Occasions
As an easy-drinking wine, Merlot pairs well with many foods. Its softer, fruity characteristics make it delicious paired with lighter foods, like fish and poultry. Avoid drinking it with spicy foods as they will overwhelm Merlot’s nuanced flavours. You don’t actually need to pair Merlot with anything – just sip it on its own while watching TV after a long day.
Different types of winemaking practices can affect the outcome of your wine. The chart below is a guideline for how we describe the profiles of our finished wines. Refer to tasting notes for each wine’s profile.
| OAK | BODY | SWEETNESS |
|---|---|---|
|
U - UNOAKED L - LIGHT M - MEDIUM H - HEAVY |
L - LIGHT M - MEDIUM F - FULL |
D - DRY O - OFF-DRY S - SWEET |
| Weeks | 8 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Chile Merlot
A classic wine with a rich aromatic bouquet of fresh red cherries, toasted oak, and herbs. Expressive flavours of dark ripe plums, berries, and silky tannins on the palate.
Food Pairings
Serve with grilled beef and sesame dressing or caesar salad and meatballs.
| Weeks | 6 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot France Style Merlot
Impressive aromas of farm fresh strawberries, violets, and vanilla framed with soft silky tannins. Powerful notes of ripe raspberries, cherries, and dark fruit on the palate. A true French classic wine.
Food Pairings
Perfect with grilled lambchops or veal and portabello mushrooms.
| Weeks | 5 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Washington Merlot Style
A cooler climate style Merlot from Washington, this wine features classic flavours of cassis and chocolate. It is dark and rich with complex notes of blackberries and velvety tannins.
Food Pairings
Great with Italian sausage pizza or Mediterranean lamb.
| Weeks | 4 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Merlot Style
A smooth, rich wine medium-dark in colour with notes of blackberry and currants. A hint of green olive in the bouquet will pleasantly surprise and delight you.
Food Pairings
Serve with homemade hamburgers or roasted chicken with thyme and onion.
| Weeks | 4 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Merlot Style
A medium-bodied and dry Merlot style wine with aromas of tart strawberry and flavours of berries with light floral notes and a short clean finish.
Food Pairings
Pairs well with Shepherd\'s pie or beef stew.
| Weeks | 5 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Chile Merlot Style
A smooth, rich wine, medium dark in colour with notes of blackberry and currants. A hint of green olive in the bouquet will pleasantly surprise and delight you.
Many of our world-renowned reds
feature our patented GenuWine
Winery Dried Grape Skins. This
process preserves ‘fresh from the
vineyard’ flavours and brings the
best of the grape to every glass.
Food Pairings
An easy sipping wine to be enjoyed on its own or with mustard glazed pork chops or chicken-pesto pasta.
| Weeks | 4 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Merlot Style
A smooth, rich wine medium-dark in colour with notes of blackberry and currants. A hint of green olive in the bouquet will pleasantly surprise and delight you.
Food Pairings
Serve with homemade hamburgers or roasted chicken with thyme and onion.
| Weeks | 4 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Merlot Style
A smooth, rich wine medium-dark in colour with notes of blackberry and currants. A hint of green olive in the bouquet will pleasantly surprise and delight you.
Food Pairings
Serve with homemade hamburgers or roasted chicken with thyme and onion.
| Weeks | 4 |
|---|---|
| Varietal | Merlot |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Oak | Medium |
| Body | Medium |
| Labels Included | No |
merlot Merlot Style
A smooth, rich wine medium-dark in colour with notes of blackberry and currants. A hint of green olive in the bouquet will pleasantly surprise and delight you.
Food Pairings
Serve with homemade hamburgers or roasted chicken with thyme and onion.