I have been seeing a lot of white Merlot on the store shelves of late, and I have to admit I hadn't heard of this until recently, though my research shows that I was just out of the wine loop.

As I suspected, it's Zinfandel made with Merlot grapes.

From Supermarket Guru:

There was a time when pink wines were known as "rosé" wines. Now they are known as "blush" wines. As with white Zinfandel, white Merlot derives it's color by leaving the grape juice in contact with the red skins of the grape for a short period of time, usually hours or days. A deep red wine has the juices in contact with the skins for weeks.

So, how did white Merlot come about?

It started in the Languedoc region of France, which is located Southwest of the Rhòne region, along the Mediterranean Sea. That region does not grow the Zinfandel grape. Wanting to get into the white Zinfandel market, ten years ago Fortant Winery, of the Languedoc, invented the category of "white Merlot".

I guess I will probably have to try this just to say I did, but I'm not sure if I'm going to like it. I'll keep you posted. Maybe I'll be a little daring on my midweek shopping trip.

Pictured is a bottle of Trinity Oaks 2004 White Merlot