Is Merlot Alive and Kicking 21 Years After Sideways, the Movie?
Merlot Retains Its Popularity Despite the Wild Ride – Let’s Visit the Filming Location
This October marks the 21st-year anniversary of the premiere of Sideways, the movie that belittled Merlot and starred Pinot Noir in the Fall of 2004. This Oscar-nominated movie - a pre-wedding buddy trip gone wrong - features Miles, the main character starring Paul Giamatti, and Thomas Haden Church. Miles is the character who drinks out of a spittoon and who utters a notorious line.
“If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any [expletive] Merlot.” -Miles (Paul Giamatti) in Sideways
During the following year after the movie release Merlot sales went on a wild ride and Pinot Noir sales soared, the so-called “Sideways Effect.” A Merlot backlash occurred. Sideways went on to gross $109 Million worldwide in revenues. Ultimately Merlot recovered just fine 21 years later. Following the movie premiere, Trefethen Winery, Napa Valley, lightheartedly thumbed their noses at the movie by hanging a sign below their Napa Valley entrance marquee reading:
“Clearly, Miles has never had NAPA VALLEY Merlot.” – Trefethen Winery owners
Trefethen is one of the historically significant Merlot producers from the Oak Knoll region of Napa Valley. The folks at Trefethen sent “Sideways” screenwriter, Alexander Payne, a magnum of Trefethen Merlot following the movie release. Payne went on to win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and appreciated the Trefethen gesture as well as their quality Merlot.
If you’d like to visit the Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez, California wine region filming location where Sideways was filmed, see my recommendations below. It is a beautiful wine region and the story of Sideways and its effect on the wine industry has been a favorite subject in Wine Wanderings. Enjoy.
Was there a Sideways Wine Sales Effect?
Was there really a “Sideways Effect” on Merlot? While the movie was truly beneficial for the sales of Pinot Noir (16% uplift in the months after the movie.)
“The positive impact on Pinot Noir appears greater than the negative impact on Merlot. The movie did, however, appear to cause a general increase in wine consumption.” - Dr. Steven Cuellar, Sonoma State University
Bottom line: Today, Merlot is the 4th most consumed wine varietal, 8.3% of wine sales in the US vs. 4.6% for Pinot Noir. Many vintners believe the movie forced Merlot’s quality to leap to higher standards, as previously it had been is some cases a boring wine and was over-planted in inappropriate soils. Some believe that if there were a Sideways Part-Deux, that Miles might actually prefer the Merlot.
Merlot – the Approachable Food-Friendly Wine
Merlot remains one of the most approachable and food-friendly red wine choices. The softer tannins of Merlot make it important in red blends. Excellence in Merlot has been achieved in the US with brands like Shafer, Duckhorn (the most popular high quality), Trefethen, Nickel & Nickel, Jarvis, Gundlach-Bundschu (Gun-Bun was a Merlot pioneer), and Stags Leap. Merlot-based wines are notably produced in France, Australia, Chile, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, South Africa, virtually throughout the wine-growing world. Merlot is known as a chameleon grape because it takes on the character of the place and adapts to the local climate. The best Merlot has a range of flavors from black cherry, blueberry, plums, graphite, and cocoa to vanilla, clove, and cedar when oak-aged.
Certainly the Merlot-rich blends from France’s Right Bank Bordeaux region continue to set the standards of excellence and high prices in wine. Right-bank Bordeaux, are Merlot-rich and come from the St. Emilion and Pomerol Regions. Here Merlot ripens early with large grapes. The tannins are soft and it is an ideal blending grape, too. Some fine examples of Merlot: Petrus, Chateau Lafleur, and Le Pin continue to command prices like $1000-9999 per bottle.
Tour the Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez Filming Location
Sideways filming location occurred in the picturesque Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, and Santa Ynez wine country of California. This region still enjoys a surge in tourism following the movie release, and the increased popularity of their Pinot Noir wines is evident. Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard (pictured) was the fake-named Frass Canyon winery, site of the infamous wine spittoon-drinking scene. The Hitching Post II restaurant remains a fan favorite for all who want to do the “Sideways Tour”. Love it or not, Sideways had a huge impact on wine drinkers and made the way for more wine-themed movies like Bottle Shock and SOMM. The rising qualities of Merlot, its inherent drinkability, and its blending compatibility have sustained the varietal. Merlot is alive and kicking.
Some Recommended Excellent Merlots:
Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard Merlot 2021 Napa Valley $135
Wine Spectator: 92 Points. Tasting Notes: Lush red and black fruit with earthy undertones. Layered and complex notes of ripe plum, currant, mocha, and red licorice. Decant while young.
Trefethen Family Vineyards, Merlot, Napa Valley, 2022 $40
James Suckling: 90 points. Tasting Notes: With savory aromas of blackberry, red currant, graphite, black tea, and cedar make this a bright, complex, and balanced medium-to-full-bodied wine. This wine spends 18 months in 37% new oak. Great with French fries with Parmesan Cheese.
French Bordeaux Blend:
Chateau Laroque 2021, St. Emilion, Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France $32
Decanter, 93 points. Tasting Notes: Notes of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, violets, and fresh plums with touches of lilacs with wood and tobacco hints abound. This wine is crafted with Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc.
Visiting “Sideways” Wine Country
Wineries to Visit
Fess Parker Winery (the fake-named Frass Canyon Winery of drinking-spittoon fame) 6200 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos, CA
Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd.,Los Olivos, CA
Buttonwood Farm and Winery 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, CA
Crown Point Vineyards, Happy Canyon – for an exclusive reservations-only tasting, 1733 Fletcher Way, Santa Ynez, CA
Where to Eat:
The Hitching Post II (Where Miles and Jack ate), 406 East Highway 246, Buellton, CA
Where to Stay:
Luxury: The Genevieve, 3627 Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez, CA
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*****
In Case You Missed It in the Wine News:
New York Times, September 5, 2025, “Federal Report on Drinking is Withdrawn.”
The upcoming U.S. Dietary Guidelines will instead be influenced by a competing study, favored by industry, which found that moderate alcohol consumption was healthy.
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Editor’s Note: I will be cruising on AmaWaterways this April 20, 2026, “Romantic Danube” Cruise. Wine Wanderings subscribers: Come and join me and Wölffer Estate Winery’s Roman Roth, Winemaker/Partner on the Danube River visiting Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Hungary with a special post-cruise 4 days in Hungarian wine country.
Cruise the Danube on AmaWaterways with Wine Wanderings and Wölffer Estate Winery and Winemaker/Partner Roman Roth, April 20, 2026, Romantic Danube. Come and join us!
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