Wines for International Merlot Day

Best Australian merlot

November 7 is International Merlot Day! To celebrate, we've rounded up some of the best merlot wines from around the country. These examples come by way of Tasmania, the Yarra Valley, Orange and Margaret River, along with the Barossa, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.

Merlot was first planted in Australia in the 1960s. While it has a shorter history here than grapes like shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, as you'll see from the expressions below, its future is bright. And here's a tip – merlot is very dark in colour (sometimes even throwing off shades of blue), so to tell the difference difference between a merlot and a cabernet, hold the glass up to the light – you'll see that merlot-based wines will have an orange tinge around the rim.

So, exactly how should you be drinking it this International Merlot Day? With flavours of berry, plum and dark cherry, merlot pairs with pizza, duck, pork, braised meats and pasta dishes.

Below are 16 of the best Australian merlot wines. You can't go past HOOSEGG's 2016 Mountain Dragon Museum Release Merlot. The museum release is $155 and has been rated 96 points by Shanteh Wale. Aravina Estate's 2022 Wildwood Ridge Reserve Merlot has been rated 95 points by Jane Faulkner, and is $55, while the Mike Press 2021 Single Vineyard Adelaide Hills Merlot is an absolute steal at $16 and was awarded 93 points by Mike Bennie.

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Image credit: Ian Routledge/Wine Australia.