Wine Focus January topic discussion

[Robin Garr]

What wine shall we choose to greet the new year? Updating the headline to see if the Merlot-haters will come jumping out of the woodwork when I mention the possibility.

How about the much-maligned Merlot?

In response to/honor of Wine Enthusiast's feature on Eastern Europe...that would be an interesting, if perhaps over-broad topic?????

Limited access to Eastern European wines here. Have we done Zinfandel in the past year? Since Zinfandel may not be readily available outside the USA, maybe we could do two grape varieties--Zinfandel and Malbec--which are primarily considered New World specialties.

Have we done Austrian wines in the past year?

Still like Merlot and maybe linked to Carmenere.

[Robin Garr]

Still like Merlot and maybe linked to Carmenere.

Okay, does anyone object to Merlot? Is it an "I won't play" grape for anyone? Are there any world Merlots left in affordable price ranges that will satisfy the AFWE? Maybe it's worth spending a month to find the answers to these questions?

I thought that we did Merlot linked with Cabernet franc about a month or two ago .

[David M. Bueker]

We were trying to focus on Cabernet Franc. The Merlot component was allowed (though not encouraged).

St. Emilions last time, Pomerols this month?

We were trying to focus on Cabernet Franc. The Merlot component was allowed (though not encouraged).

I don't quite remember it that way. In the course of the discussion for a CabFranc WF, I suggested doing Merlot sometime and found that Merlot got added in. If people want to take a second and bigger bite at that cherry, so be it.

[Robin Garr]

I don't quite remember it that way. In the course of the discussion for a CabFranc WF, I suggested doing Merlot sometime and found that Merlot got added in. If people want to take a second and bigger bite at that cherry, so be it.

Hearing no objections, might as well do it! Getting off to a day's late start, I'll post a more structured thread-starter later today.