Grape variety
Merlot
Merlot in Ticino: the grape of Italian-speaking Switzerland since 1906, also made as white Merlot. Bordeaux origin, parentage, character and pairings.
- Colour
- Red
- Parentage
- Natural cross of Cabernet Franc × Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (DNA analysis 2009), from Bordeaux
- Grown in Switzerland
- About 1,200 hectares, about 830 of them in Ticino (roughly three quarters of its vineyards)
- Typical aromas
- Plum, blackberry, cherry, tobacco, chocolate
- Classic pairing
- Brasato with polenta, luganighe, mushroom risotto
- Speciality
- Bianco di Merlot: Merlot vinified white, made in Ticino since the 1980s
Merlot is the grape of Ticino. Switzerland grows about 1,200 hectares of it, the second largest red area after Pinot Noir, and roughly 830 of those hectares lie south of the Gotthard, where Merlot covers around three quarters of the canton’s vineyards. The rest is spread over Valais, Vaud, Geneva and a little in German-speaking Switzerland, where warmer summers have made it an interesting newcomer.
It arrived as a rescue. At the end of the 19th century phylloxera and mildew destroyed most of Ticino’s old vineyard, which had been planted with a mix of local varieties such as Bondola. The agronomist Alderige Fantuzzi tested replacements, the first Merlot vines from Bordeaux were planted around 1905 and the first wine was made in 1906, which is the date Ticino celebrates. Within a few decades the variety had taken over. Its own parentage was settled by DNA in 2009: Merlot is a natural cross of Cabernet Franc and an obscure Breton grape, Magdeleine Noire des Charentes.
Ticino splits into two zones. The Sopraceneri, north of Monte Ceneri around Bellinzona and Locarno, has acidic, granitic soils and makes finer, fresher wines; the Sottoceneri, around Lugano and especially the Mendrisiotto, has calcareous soils and a milder climate and gives fuller, riper Merlot. The best are aged in barrique and develop gracefully for a decade, with plum, blackberry, cherry, tobacco and a touch of chocolate behind soft tannins. Since the 1980s the region has also pressed Merlot gently and without skins to make Bianco di Merlot, a dry, fruity white that is now a notable part of the canton’s production.
At the table, a red Merlot wants the food of the grotto: brasato with polenta, luganighe sausages with lentils, a mushroom risotto, a plate of cured meats and Alpine cheese. Serve it around 16 to 18 degrees. The white version is an aperitif wine and goes well with lake fish and antipasti.