Red grapes
Merlot vs Cabernet Sauvignon: how the two red grapes differ
Cabernet Sauvignon usually makes a firmer wine, with more tannin and acidity and notes of blackcurrant; Merlot a rounder one, with softer tannins and notes of plum and black cherry. The two grapes are related, both come from Bordeaux, and they complete each other in blends, as in our Artitude Trinity, Artitude Trilogy and Goliard Red Reserve.
How do Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon differ?
| Feature | Merlot | Cabernet Sauvignon |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Bordeaux; parents Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes | Bordeaux; parents Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc |
| Ripening | earlier | late: a late budder and late ripener |
| Tannin | softer, so the wine feels rounder | more: thick skins give tannin, acidity and deep colour |
| Acidity | lower | higher |
| Typical aroma | plums and black cherries | blackcurrant (cassis) |
| In a blend | adds body and alcohol and softens the tannins | gives tannin, acidity and aroma |
The University of California, Davis sums up the genetic research: Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a spontaneous cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc (Bowers and Meredith, 1997), and Merlot from Cabernet Franc and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (Boursiquot and others, 2009), so the two share a parent. The same text describes Cabernet Sauvignon as small-berried and thick-skinned, with “high tannin, acidity, and dark color”, and Merlot as the earlier-harvested grape with lower acidity that softens the astringency of the tannins in a blend.
Which one is softer?
Usually Merlot. Wine-Searcher notes that Merlot “tends to be lusher with softer tannins” than a Cabernet Sauvignon grown in similar conditions, that Cabernet’s hallmark is blackcurrant and Merlot’s plums and black cherries, and that the two often overlap. At a WSET class described by Decanter, the conclusion was that in a blend Cabernet Sauvignon gives tannin, acidity and aroma, and Merlot body and alcohol.
What are ours like?
From our wine sheets: Artitude Merlot 2023 has black cherry and ripe plum with subtle notes of vanilla and oak (189 MDL); Goliard Merlot 2023 ripe raspberry, black cherry and red plum (289 MDL); Artitude Merlot 2015 dried plum, black tea, leather and delicate spice (349 MDL). Our single-variety dry red Cabernet Sauvignon is 6N Cabernet Sauvignon (Victory) (89 MDL); most of our Cabernet goes into blends with Merlot.
| Wine | Wine style | Alcohol | Shop price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6N Collection Merlot (Love) | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 89 MDL |
| Arborele Merlot | Medium sweet red | 12% vol | 89 MDL |
| Artitude Merlot 2015 | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 349 MDL |
| Artitude Merlot 2017 | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 349 MDL |
| Artitude Merlot 2023 | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 189 MDL |
| Château d’Étoile Merlot | Medium sweet red | not stated | 89 MDL |
| Châteaux de Brua Merlot | Medium sweet red | 11% vol | 89 MDL |
| Dolofana de la Prut Merlot | Medium sweet red | 12% vol | 89 MDL |
| Goliard Merlot 2023 | Dry red | 13% vol | 289 MDL |
| Goliard Merlot 2025 | Dry red | not stated | 289 MDL |
| Lucky Merlot | Medium sweet red | 12% vol | 89 MDL |
| Wine | Wine style | Alcohol | Shop price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6N Collection Cabernet Sauvignon (Victory) | Dry red | not stated | 89 MDL |
| Château d’Étoile Cabernet Sauvignon | Medium sweet red | not stated | 89 MDL |
| Châteaux de Brua Cabernet Sauvignon | Medium sweet red | 11% vol | 89 MDL |
| Lucky Cabernet | Medium dry red | 13% vol | 89 MDL |
Why not both?
In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are classic partners in a blend, and so they are here. Artitude Trinity 2016 (with Pinot Noir) has dried cherry, plum, black tea, cedar and tobacco leaf; Goliard Red Reserve 2017 (with Fetească Neagră) dried cherry, plum, black pepper, tobacco and oak spice; Perla Neagră Red Blend (with Pinot Noir) black cherry, ripe plum, cedar and leather.
| Wine | Grape | Wine style | Alcohol | Shop price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artitude Trinity 2016 | Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 349 MDL |
| Artitude Trilogy 2017 | Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fetească Neagră | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 349 MDL |
| Goliard Red Reserve 2017 | Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fetească Neagră | Dry red | not stated | 449 MDL |
| Perla Neagră Red Blend | Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir | Dry red | 13.5% vol | 180 MDL |
What food goes with them?
From each wine’s own pairing notes: Artitude Merlot 2023 with grilled meat, pasta and semi-hard cheeses; Goliard Merlot 2023 also with sarmale and pork stew with mămăligă; 6N Cabernet Sauvignon with grilled meat, pasta and mature cheeses; the Trinity, Red Reserve and Perla Neagră blends with roast beef, grilled lamb, game and aged cheeses. More in our guide to Moldovan food and wine.
Are they dry or semi-sweet?
Either: the grape does not decide the sugar. We have dry, medium dry and medium sweet Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and a sweet liqueur wine from Cabernet, Pastoral Red. How to read the categories: “Dry vs semi-sweet wine”.
Merlot and Cabernet in Moldova
According to the National Office for Vine and Wine, wine grape varieties cover 81,000 hectares in Moldova, 30% of them red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Saperavi and more), grown mostly in the south.
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FAQ
What is the difference between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon?
Cabernet Sauvignon usually has more tannin and acidity and notes of blackcurrant; Merlot has softer tannins, lower acidity and notes of plum and black cherry.
Are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon related?
Yes: they share a parent, Cabernet Franc, according to the genetic research summed up by the University of California, Davis.
Which is drier, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon?
Neither by nature: sugar depends on the wine, not the grape. We have both as dry, medium dry and medium sweet wines.
Which of your wines have both grapes?
Artitude Trinity 2016 and Perla Neagră Red Blend (with Pinot Noir), Artitude Trilogy 2017 and Goliard Red Reserve 2017 (with Fetească Neagră), and the BonaFlores Cab-Merlot liqueur wine.
Sources
- University of California, Davis, Foundation Plant Services, “Black Grapes of Bordeaux” (Grape Book) (opens in a new tab)
- Decanter, “Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Grapes – WSET Level 2”, 8 December 2015 (opens in a new tab)
- Wine-Searcher, “Cabernet Sauvignon” (grape page), 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- National Office for Vine and Wine (Wine of Moldova), “Enotourism Guide. Republic of Moldova”, 2025, p. 16 (opens in a new tab)
- Doina Vin wine sheets: tasting notes, strength and pairings (each wine’s page)
