Wine with Gerard Richardson

WHAT do you turn to in times of stress? Your mum, beer, yoga? In my case it’s merlot, preferably from California, but I’m an international equal opportunities boozer so any country will do at a push.

Merlot is one of the classic grapes of Bordeaux which has fought for dominance with its arch-rival cabernet sauvignon for hundreds of years. Now they carry on that tussle in vineyards all over the world. It’s a bit like

Ali v Foreman with the occasional blend interloper in the form of shiraz, AKA Frazier.

It’s a tussle I love because both grapes would be in my top two but merlot, being the softer, more relaxing one, has tended to become my liquid comfort blanket. It’s actually hard to find a poor one at any price except for the cheap southern French single varietals that smell like a wet dog blanket and taste like rubber.

You have to be a complete plonker to produce a bad merlot. That said, the further above a tenner you go, the richer and more velvety the plummy flavours become and, at the top end, they are often so rich, complex and smooth that they constitute a dish unto themselves.

Merlot Reserva Casa Silva, Chile Quite a complex, full-on merlot for very little money. Rich plum flavours with hints of coffee and oak on the finish. Snap it up, folks!

DeBurgh.com (Midlothian), £11.49

Devils Creek Merlot, Hawkes Bay

Too many New Zealand reds have the green leafiness to them that spoils the flavour but not this one. Rich, generous plum and damson flavours with one of those lovely enveloping palates that make it perfect for spicy dishes.

Majestic, £9.99 per bottle or £7.99 mixed six