One of the great qualities of Merlot is its great versatility when it comes to creating food and wine pairings. Meats, pastas, legumes, charcuterie and cheeses are some of the delicious combinations you can create with this grape variety.

Thanks to its versatility and smooth finish on the palate, Merlot is a very popular red variety and famous for being part of the renowned Bordeaux blends. Its flavour is characterized by a great fruity character, which can present aromas and flavours of black fruits, cherries, plums, as well as herbs, graphite, chocolate and notes of violet. Its acidity is moderate and its body is medium to robust.

One of its great virtues is its round tannins, which offer wines with great structure, although with a soft texture. For this reason, it is one of the red varieties that offers the greatest number of styles. Plus, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, it works especially well with many tomato-based Italian dishes. At the same time, their structure allows them to be paired with dishes based on white and red meat, thick sauces, grilled vegetables and so much more.

These are some exquisite combinations with Merlot that you cannot miss:

White and lean red meats

Those Merlots that stand out for their fruitiness, and that are considered easy to drink, such as Casillero del Diablo Merlot, work very well with dishes based on white meats such as roast chicken or turkey, pork, and lean cuts of red meat. While those with more body, such as Marques de Casa Concha Merlot, pair better with red meats such as lamb.

Pastas in all types

When it comes to Italian food, Merlot is an excellent ally. Preparations such as Lasagna Bolognese, Spaghetti with meatballs or other pastas with tomato sauces, mushrooms, bacon or cream such as Macaroni cheese, are safe candidates to pair with wines such as Marques de Casa Concha Merlot.

Legumes

Thanks to the versatility of Merlot, dishes with legumes such as Cocido Madrileño (based on chickpeas), Lentils with chorizo, Ribollita toscana (with beans), are excellent accompanied by wines such as Casillero del Diablo Merlot.

Terrines and pates

Charcuterie is another of the alternatives available to pair Merlot, either in an appetizer, or for cold entrees such as Pork Terrines or Duck Pate, to name a few delicious examples.

Soft and mature cheeses

And, of course, the cheeses couldn’t be missing. More robust Merlot examples such as Marques de Casa Concha Merlot complement well with a wide variety of cheeses including Grana Padano, Brie, Gorgonzola, Cheddar and Gauda. Don’t stop trying them!

Considering that the celebration of Merlot Day is approaching, this coming November 7, we invite you to let yourself be surprised by some of these exquisite pairings that, moreover, are for all tastes. Have you already chosen yours?