I know what I like, of course, and one of the things I like is the wonderfully gigantic variety of wines that exist in this world. From Albariño to Dornfelder, Riesling to Rkatsiteli, and Xynomavro to Godello, exploring the wine universe is a pleasure and an adventure. I’ve said before that one should never bring hard and fast preconceptions or prejudices to a tasting, dinner, or wine merchant. Try. Sample. Taste. Don’t like white wine? That is, frankly, nonsense. Sure, we all have our favorites, the stuff we go back to again and again and put in our inventories and Eurocaves or closets. But if you don’t color outside the lines, you’re depriving yourself of a lot of life.

Which brings me to Merlot, and a wine I tasted recently. It’s the 2013 Merlot from Swanson Vineyards, and I loved it. So did a woman with whom I shared it, a woman who had told me on more than one occasion that she did not care for Merlot.

You can read my take (and hers) on the Swanson Vineyards Merlot by clicking here.

And if you want more wine, check out these pieces:

French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life

Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs