The Daily Decant
The Daily Decant delivers practical wine knowledge in five minutes a day to help you choose, order, and talk about wine with more confidence in everyday social settings. Each episode offers concise insights on regions, varietals, and standout bottles you can use the next time you're at dinner, hosting friends, or picking out a bottle.
The Daily Decant
Latest Episodes
The Wrap-Up: The Case for the Merlot Comeback
Six episodes, five regions, and one grape that has spent twenty years fighting an unfair reputation built on a movie and some mediocre California wine. Sunday's wrap-up makes the full case for Merlot's rehabilitation: the recap from Pomerol to ...
How to Buy Merlot Without Getting Burned
Merlot occupies a wider quality range than almost any other major red grape, which means buying it well requires knowing what to look for — and what to avoid. Saturday's practical episode covers the specific signals that distinguish serious Mer...
Merlot Around the World: The Unexpected Places
Merlot isn't just a Bordeaux and California story. Today's episode covers the wider global picture: Masseto, the legendary Tuscan Merlot that commands over three hundred dollars a bottle and has become one of Italy's most celebrated wines; the ...
Washington State: America's Most Underrated Merlot
While California Merlot was fighting its reputation crisis, Washington State was quietly building one of the most compelling cases for American Merlot in the world. Today's episode covers the Columbia Valley and Walla Walla appellations, the sp...
California Merlot: The Producers Who Never Gave Up
California Merlot had a golden decade in the 1980s and early 1990s before the Sideways effect collapsed demand almost overnight. But a handful of producers never wavered, because they knew what their best Merlot was capable of. Today's episode ...