Merlot grapes have been made into wine for generations. From the first vats of fermenting grapes in ancient France to our modern cellars of today, the basic premise for quality merlot remains the same - the character and style are determined by the conditions in the vineyard and the ripeness of the fruit. Merlot is perhaps even more sensitive to the issues of terroir than some of the other noble varieties. Grown in areas that are too dry, the wines can be lean and hard; in areas where the soil is too heavy and fertile; the vine can overproduce and produce thin, green wines. Long Island has just the proper combination of soil and climate to suit the needs of the merlot varietal perfectly.

The most important decision a winemaker can make is the determination of the harvest date. While the decision between harvesting too early or too late leads to profound differences in quality, luckily our climate affords us the best conditions to fully ripen merlot grapes, which typically occurs at the end of October. Warm days following cool nights provide sunlight and heat for producing just the right amount of sugar while retaining natural acidity and the wonderful aromatic elements of the fruit. The window of opportunity for harvesting ripe merlot grapes can be quite large and unlike the West Coast, our sugar/ tannin ratio is often in perfect balance. The winemaker’s goal therefore is to capture as much of the fruit as possible while guiding the fermentation process.

Compared to the old days, today’s winemakers have an abundance of techniques and equipment available to them to make Merlot wine. Many of us utilize traditional winemaking techniques such as hand harvesting and sorting to gather our fruit while others use the more modern method of mechanical harvesting. Each method has its merits. Traditional Merlot winemaking involves a prolonged fermentation on the skins. This period varies from 1 week to over 1 month depending on the style desired. During this time, the skins are constantly mixed with the fermenting juice, either through a physical “punch-down” method (using a device to push the skins into the juice) or a “pump-over” system, which sprays the fermenting juice (via a pump) taken from the lower portion of the vat back into the top. There are also newer methods being tried at many Long Island wineries involving rotary fermenters, cold-soaking, submerged caps and barrel fermentation. Winemakers are constantly innovating and looking for ways to maximize the flavors coming out of their vineyard, and to deliver to the consumer a superior product. The decision to barrel age as well as the choice of barrel can also have a profound impact on wine quality. Most producers would tend to agree that French oak is still the best choice for Long Island Merlot wine production. Within the genera, there are literally hundreds of possibilities to choose from. Everything from the forest, amount of drying time, toast level, and coopering techniques can have an impact on the finished product. These decisions are usually left up to the winemaker, who decides what path he should allow the wine to take. Barrel aging of Merlot wines on Long Island can be as quick as 2-3 months and as long as 2 years with an average length of aging of 12 months. Most Long Island Merlot wine is at its best beginning at 5 years from the vintage date and may last upwards of 10-20 years or more. As our vines get older, our wines will have the ability to age much longer. Merlots are typically bottled 1/12 -2 years after harvest and often require as much as 1-2 years of bottle age before release.

Many techniques can have a dramatic impact on wine style however the centuries old saying is still just as true today as it ever was. “Fine wine is always made in the vineyard.”