Merlot is a natural progeny of Cabernet Franc and a previously unknown red grape named Magdeleine Noire des Charentes, DNA boffins revealed. Merlot (see Oxford Companion to Wine ) is a black grape variety originally associated with the great wines of St-Émilion and Pomerol which is now planted worldwide. Merlot was mentioned for the first time in Libourne (Gironde) in 1783. Like many other grapes, its origin was unclear, but in 1999, DNA paternity analysis suggested that Merlot was an offspring of Cabernet Franc and an unknown, probably extinct, variety. A few days ago, a group of French scientists (in collaboration...