Yes, we are drinking some f&%^ing Merlot! 是的，我们正在喝一些&%^梅洛！

国际梅洛日

11.07

The year is 1784. Two French brothers make the world’s first balloon flight of more than 100 km. Newlywed musician Mozart settles into Vienna and starts writing The Marriage of Figaro. And newly independent nation The United States starts trading with China by sending a ship full of furs, ginseng and more to Guangzhou.
那是公元1784年。法国的两兄弟创造了世界上第一个超过100公里的气球飞行。新婚的音乐家莫扎特定居维也纳并开始创作《费加罗的婚礼》。刚刚获得独立的国家美国，通过向中国广州运送一艘载满人参、毛衣、皮革、胡椒等商品的货运商船（中国皇后号）开启了与中国的贸易。

中国皇后号图片 来源Baidu

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About Merlot 

关于梅洛

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This is also the year a Bordeaux official makes the first known mention of Merlot, which rises to become the world’s second most-planted wine grape after Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, both are descendants of the same grape, Cabernet Franc, and often find themselves blended together.
今年，一位波尔多官员首次提到了梅洛 (Merlot)，它已成为仅次于赤霞珠 (Cabernet Sauvignon) 的世界第二大葡萄种植品种。事实上，这两种葡萄都是品丽珠 (Cabernet Franc) 的后代，而且常常发现它们是混酿在一起的。

梅洛 & 赤霞珠

Photo from 图片来源：Baidu 百度

Merlot Day is November 7 and celebrates a grape named after the French word for “blackbird” (merle). It’s certainly a grape that is famously loved and hated.
每年的11月7日是国际梅洛日，庆祝一种以法语 “黑鸟” (山鸟色)命名的葡萄。毫无疑问，梅洛是一种“爱恨交加”的葡萄。

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Loved and Hated

爱恨交加的葡萄

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On one hand, it was derided by the character Miles Raymond in the movie Sideways, who angrily stated, "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving, I am not drinking any f$&%ing Merlot!"

一方面，它受到了电影《杯酒人生》(Sideways)中迈尔斯·雷蒙德 (Miles Raymond) 角色的嘲笑，他愤怒地说: “如果有人点梅洛，我就走，我不会喝任何$&%梅洛葡萄酿的酒!”

Gif Credit 来源：giphy.com

On the other hand, it is the grape that inspires many great wines, including the staggeringly expensive Petrus, with recent vintages selling for more than RMB30,000 per bottle.
另一方面，正是这种葡萄品种激发了许多佳酿的灵感，包括价格惊人的柏翠 (Petrus)，年份近点儿的每瓶售价都已超过3万元人民币。

Picture info. : Wine-Searcher.com

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Planting Regions

种植区域

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All told, Merlot is a useful and delicious grape. It ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, tends to make softer rounder lusher wines and typically includes black fruit (cherries and berries), violet and chocolate / cocoa character. And it is planted on every continent, with substantial swaths in French, the United States, Italy, Chile, Romania and Australia. You can also find it grown all across China.
总之，梅洛是一种有价值又美味的葡萄。它比赤霞珠成熟的早，口感柔和圆润，酒香浓郁，通常含有黑色水果(樱桃和浆果)、紫罗兰和巧克力/可可味。基本每个大陆都种植着这种葡萄品种，例如在法国、美国、意大利、智利、罗马尼亚和澳大利亚都有大面积种植。而且你也可以在中国各地发现这种葡萄。

Photo from 图片来源：Baidu 百度

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Merlot Wines

梅洛葡萄酒

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Chateau du Pavillon from winery Ponty is a nice example of a 100 percent Merlot from Bordeaux, with those black cherry and berry and violet aromas married to a woody and vanilla character from oak aging. This is a wine to savor.
来自Ponty酒庄的大兰亭干红葡萄酒是完全由波尔多的梅洛葡萄酿造的一个很好的例子，酒体呈现有黑樱桃、浆果和紫罗兰的香气与橡木陈酿的木质和香草相结合的特点。这是一款值得品尝的葡萄酒。

大兰亭干红葡萄酒

具体年份以收到的产品为准

Nos Racines Merlot, on the other hand, is a party pleaser, a fruity lively pour that also delivers some of that vanilla character. It’s a nice follow-up to a bottle of Nos Racines Sauvignon Blanc.
另一方面，诺斯梅洛干红葡萄酒是一款受派对欢迎的酒，它充满了水果的活力，同时也带有一些香草的特点。这是继诺斯长相思干白葡萄酒之后又一款口感不错的酒。

诺斯

梅洛干红葡萄酒

Click it to get the same one 点击图片获取同款

And CHEERS has plenty of other ways to mark Merlot Day, from single-variety wines Cote Lavande and Tussock Jumper to blends such as CHEERS newcomer Cote Du Danube Cabernet-Merlot from Bulgaria. 

此外，CHEERS还有很多其他品种的葡萄酒来庆祝国际梅洛日，从单一品种的灵香梅洛干红葡萄酒和红衣乐园法国梅洛干红葡萄酒，到混酿的葡萄酒，比如来自保加利亚的布洛堡干红葡萄酒。

Click it to get the same one 点击图片获取同款

So, if anyone orders Merlot, don’t leave: just settle in, grab a glass and enjoy of the world’s best grapes.

因此，如果有人点了梅洛 (Merlot)，不要离开，也不要抱怨: 坐下来，拿起酒杯，享受世界上值得一品的葡萄。

CHEERS

TO MERLOT

Gif Credit 来源：soogif.com

Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城
原文作者：Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

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