Japan Winery Map

Know the grapes

Merlotメルロー

Wineries growing it
204
Awards
672
Years with awards
2003–2026

Soft-tannined and generously fruity, it often makes one of the more approachable styles of red wine.

It shows dark berry and plum fruit, and its fine, soft tannins make it easy to approach for people new to red wine. It is bottled on its own and also blended with grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. In Japan, Kikyogahara in Shiojiri, Nagano is widely known as a Merlot area, and it is also grown in Yamanashi and Hokkaido. It pairs comfortably with hearty home cooking — hamburg steak, simmered meat and potatoes, or miso-based dishes.

France (Bordeaux)plumblack berrieschocolate

Notes on aroma and taste describe general tendencies for this grape, not claims about any particular wine — the actual character depends on the producer and how it is made.

For this grape we have not yet confirmed a primary source for its origin or growing regions. (Winery entries always carry a source and the date it was checked.)

Merlot at the Japan Wine Competition

672 awards in the published results carry “Merlot” in the entry name, across 75 wineries and 24 years. These are read from the entry names, not from declared grape composition, so wines whose names do not mention the grape are not included.

  • Grand Gold 1
  • Gold 68
  • Silver 188
  • Bronze 343
  • Encouragement 48
  • Selected 3

Wineries with the most awards

Ordered by how many awards we list. Producers differ in how many wines they entered and in how many years they entered, so this is not a ranking of quality.

Wines that have won more than once

Grouped by producer and wine, showing those with three or more awards. Names come from the published entry names, with the vintage removed because each row spans several vintages.

By year

Wineries growing Merlot

204 listed wineries are recorded by their sources as growing this grape.