Merlot: Beginners Guide to Wine (101 Publishing: Wine Series)

Searching for a red that doesn’t come with a lot of attitude? Then savor the flavor a good Merlot can bring. Sommelier Sara Fasolino helps you understand why this multifaceted wine has long been underappreciated and offers practical tips to add its soft elegance to any occasion in your preferred price range. In “Merlot: Beginners Guide to Wine,” Fasolino explains the wine’s power and role as a blend, how climates and winemaking styles affect its taste and the occasions and best dishes to pair with its richer and lighter styles.


Excerpt from the Book:
“Despite the popularity and fame of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bordeaux region of France, Merlot is actually the most widely planted grape there. The first record of the wine appeared in 1784 in a publication that mentions it as a wine of quality from the Libournais region of France. It’s just as popular with wildlife—the name is actually derived from the Latin term Turdus merula, meaning “little blackbird”—because the birds love to nibble on the sweet grapes.”

Includes:
1. Understanding Merlot
1.1. A Roller Coaster of Publicity
1.2. The Making of Merlot
2. Choosing Merlot
2.1. New World Offerings
2.2. The Many Prices of Merlot
3. Serving and Enjoying Merlot
3.1. Merlot and Aging
3.2. Delicious Accompaniments
3.3. Merlot in its Rightful Place

About the Author:
Sara Fasolino, senior beverage manager for Brinker International, oversees the entire beverage inventory for all Chili's and Maggiano's locations. Recognized as a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, a certified specialist of wine by the Society of Wine Educators and as an advanced mixologist, Fasolino is passionate about wine and spirits. And in her role at Brinker, she has truly found her home.

Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Fasolino moved to Dallas for her role with Brinker in 2012, and she hasn’t looked back. “I am thankful and humbled every day I come to work and do my job,” Fasolino says. “I am extremely fortunate and grateful.”

Fasolino’s experience in the restaurant industry dates back to her college years in Ohio, where she was a server in an area restaurant. Upon graduation from Marietta College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she worked with a beverage marketer and distributor in Ohio before relocating to Chicago, where she was the beverage systems manager at Morton’s The Steakhouse. She now resides in Dallas with her family.