I am not a wine person. I mean I drink it. But I do not know the fancy words. I do not swirl it and talk about legs. I just open it and pour it. So when people ask me about wine I usually say I do not know. But someone asked me about these two. Pinot Noir and Merlot. And I thought okay I have drunk both of those. A lot of both actually. So maybe I have something to say.
The first thing is they are both red. That is obvious. But they are very different reds. One is light. One is not as light. One is smooth. One is smoother. Actually both are pretty smooth. But in different ways.
Let me just tell you what I remember from drinking them. Some of it is from restaurants. Some of it is from buying bottles at the store. Some of it is from getting a glass at a bar and not even looking at the pinot noir vs merlot.
Merlot First Because I Drink It More
I drink Merlot more. That is just the truth. It is easier to find. It is cheaper. It does not disappoint me. I mean sometimes it is just okay. But it is never terrible.
When I drink Merlot I taste dark fruit. Like plums. Dark cherries. Sometimes if the wine is from a warm place like California I get a little vanilla. Not like ice cream vanilla. Just a hint. It is nice.
The mouth feel is smooth. That is the word I always use. Smooth. It goes down easy. It does not make my mouth pucker up. It does not leave that dry feeling that some red wines leave. It is just easy.
I had a bottle of Merlot last week actually. From Chile. It cost about fourteen dollars. I was making spaghetti. I opened it and poured a glass while I cooked. It was good. Not amazing. But good. I finished the bottle with dinner.
One time I had a more expensive Merlot. From Napa. My friend brought it over. It was thirty dollars or something. It was definitely better. Smoother. More flavor. You could taste the plum and the cherry more clearly. There was even a little chocolate taste. That was nice.
But honestly I was just as happy with the fourteen dollar bottle. Maybe I do not have a sophisticated palate. Or maybe Merlot is just a forgiving wine.
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Pinot Noir Is Different in a Way I Did Not Expect
Pinot Noir is lighter. That is the first thing I noticed. The color is lighter. When you pour it you can see through it a little bit. Merlot is dark. You cannot see through Merlot.
The taste is also lighter. Red fruit instead of dark. Cherries. Raspberries. Sometimes strawberries. It is brighter. More tart. That tartness comes from acidity. I did not know that before. I just knew it made my mouth water.
Pinot Noir has this earthy taste too. Mushroom. Forest floor. I remember the first time I tasted it I thought that is weird. Who wants to drink something that tastes like dirt? But it is not bad. It is just different. It makes you think.
Here is the thing about Pinot Noir. Cheap ones are bad. I mean really bad. I bought a twelve dollar bottle once. It was like water. No flavor. No fruit. Just alcohol. I poured it down the drain. That was a waste of twelve dollars.
So if you want good Pinot Noir you have to spend more. Twenty-five dollars at least. Maybe thirty. I have bought a few in that range and they were good. Not great. But good.
I had a Pinot Noir from Oregon once. It was about thirty-five dollars. It was really good. Bright and tart. You could taste the cherry. There was a little spice. It was complex. I felt like I was drinking something special.
But I do not buy Pinot Noir often. It is too expensive for a regular night. And sometimes I buy an expensive one and I do not love it. That is frustrating.
Where Do These Grapes Come From?
Both are French originally. Merlot is from Bordeaux. Pinot Noir is from Burgundy. Bordeaux is warmer. Burgundy is cooler. That makes sense when you taste them.
Merlot likes warmth. So it grows well in warmer places. California. Chile. Australia. Pinot Noir likes cool. So it grows well in cooler places. Oregon. New Zealand. The coast of California.
I have never been to any of these places. I just read that somewhere. But it seems right. The wines from warm places are fruitier. The wines from cool places are more earthy.
I do not think about that when I buy wine though. I just grab a bottle and hope it is good. Sometimes I look at the label and see where it is from. But mostly I just grab whatever is on sale.
What to Eat with Merlot?
Beef. That is the simple answer. Steak. Roast beef. Beef stew. Merlot goes with beef. I do not know why. It just does.
I had Merlot with a steak once at a restaurant. The waiter recommended it. It was good. The wine brought out the flavor of the steak. The steak brought out the flavor of the wine.
Pasta with red sauce also works. Spaghetti. Lasagna. The tomato sauce has acidity. The wine has structure. They go together.
Cheeseburgers too. I know that sounds casual. But Merlot with a cheeseburger is a good match. The wine is smooth. The burger is juicy. It works.
I also like Merlot with chocolate. Dark chocolate specifically. I had dark chocolate cake once with Merlot and it was amazing. The bitterness of the chocolate and the fruit of the wine balanced each other.
What to Eat with Pinot Noir?
Pinot Noir goes with lighter food. Salmon. Chicken. Pork. The wine is light. The food is light. They match.
I had grilled salmon with Pinot Noir once. It was at a friend's house. I was skeptical. Red wine with fish? But it worked. The acidity in the wine cut through the richness of the salmon. It was perfect.
Roast chicken is another good match. The earthy flavors in the wine go with the herbs in the chicken. Thyme. Rosemary. Those kinds of herbs.
Mushrooms are the best pairing. If you have a mushroom dish, you should drink Pinot Noir. The earthy mushroom flavor and the earthy wine flavor are a match. It is almost like they were designed to go together.
I had a mushroom pasta once with Pinot Noir. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. The wine made the food better. The food made the wine better.
Serving Temperature Is a Thing
I used to just drink red wine at room temperature. I did not think about it. But I learned that room temperature is too warm. The wine tastes better when it is a little cool. Merlot should be served cool. Not cold. Just cool. Put it in the fridge for ten or fifteen minutes before you open it.
Pinot Noir should be served cooler. Put it in the fridge for twenty minutes. Then take it out and let it warm up as you drink it. Do not put it in the freezer. That is too cold. The wine will taste harsh. The tannins will be bitter. I did that once and it was a mistake. I also learned that glass shape matters. For Pinot Noir you want a big glass with a wide bowl. That lets the smell come out. For Merlot any wine glass works.
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Can You Age These Wines?
I am going to be honest. I do not age wine. I buy it and drink it. Sometimes within hours of buying it. Some people say you can age Merlot. The good ones improve over time. But I do not buy good ones. I buy everyday ones. So I do not age them. Pinot Noir is usually not for aging. It is made to be drunk young. The fruit flavors are best right away. If you keep it too long the fruit goes away and you are left with earthy flavors. So my advice is just drink them. Do not think about aging. That is for people who have wine cellars. That is not for us.
Which One Is Better?
I get asked this a lot. Which one is better? I do not know. They are both good. They are just different. If you want a smooth, easy wine, pick Merlot. It is reliable. It is affordable. It goes with many foods. If you want something lighter and more complex, pick Pinot Noir. But you have to spend more money. And you have to be okay with earthy flavors. I drink Merlot more because it is cheaper and easier. But I enjoy Pinot Noir more when I have the money to spend. So there is no better one. It just depends on what you want.
Some Random Thoughts I Have
I bought a bottle of Pinot Noir last month. It was from New Zealand. It cost about twenty-eight dollars. It was good but not great. I was a little disappointed. I bought a bottle of Merlot last week for fourteen dollars. From Chile. It was good. Not amazing. But good.
So the expensive wine was not that much better than the cheap wine. That happens sometimes. And it is frustrating. I think Pinot Noir is overhyped. People talk about it like it is the best wine ever. But it is just wine. Good wine. But not magic. Merlot is underrated. People think it is boring. But it is not boring. It is just reliable. Reliable is not boring. Anyway I will keep drinking both. Sometimes one. Sometimes the other. Depends on the food. Depends on my mood. Depends on how much money I have.
You should do the same. Do not overthink it. Just pick one and pinot noir vs merlot.
One More Thing
I forgot to say this earlier. But Pinot Noir is harder to grow. The grape has thin skin. So it gets damaged easily. That is why it is more expensive.
- Merlot has thick skin. So it is easier to grow. That is why it is cheaper.
- That is the whole reason. It is not because Merlot is worse. It is because it is easier to grow.
- So when you buy Merlot you are not buying a worse wine. You are buying a wine that is cheaper to make.
- When you buy Pinot Noir you are paying for the difficulty. Not necessarily the quality.
Conclusion
That is everything I know about these two wines. I am not an expert. I just drink them. And I have opinions. Try both. See which one you like. Drink what you like. Do not let anyone tell you one is better than the other. Wine is personal. What I like might not be what you like. That is fine.
