Chris BerryFounder, Wine Underdogs — chasing the world’s overlooked grapesIf you like Merlot, try Agiorgitiko from Nemea first: soft, plummy and round, with more perfume. For something lighter and fresher, try Mencía from Bierzo.
If you love Merlot, you love one of two things about it: the plush plum fruit or the easy softness. Agiorgitiko gives you both, with a little more perfume than most Merlot. Mencía gives you the softness, swaps the plum for red berries and violet, and adds a lift of freshness. Either one hits the same soft spot and hands you a story worth telling at the table.
The short answer
- Agiorgitiko (Greece): plum, red cherry and sweet spice, round and soft. The closest match to Merlot's comfort.
- Mencía (Spain): raspberry, pomegranate, violet and a graphite edge. Merlot's ease, lighter on its feet.
Which half of Merlot do you miss?
Merlot is the red everyone learned on and half of them quietly went back to. Soft tannins, ripe plum and black cherry, a round and generous body: it asks nothing of you and gives plenty. A film made it a punchline twenty years ago, and the grape has been apologizing for a crime it didn't commit ever since. So "like Merlot" is really two requests. If you want the plush, plummy weight, you want a round, ripe red. If you want the low-friction ease, the gentle tannin that never tires you out, you can trade some of that weight for freshness and lose nothing you'd miss.
| Grape | From | Gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Agiorgitiko | Nemea, Greece | Plum and softness, round and ripe |
| Mencía | Bierzo, Spain | Softness, lighter and fresher |
Agiorgitiko: both halves, with more perfume
Nemea, Greece · round body, soft tannin · ah-yor-YEE-tee-ko
Start here. Agiorgitiko, from Nemea in the Peloponnese, is the friendliest serious red in Greece: deep plum and red-cherry fruit, sweet spice, soft and rounded tannins, medium acidity. The name is a mouthful; the wine is not.
Versus Merlot: it drinks like a good Merlot's more interesting cousin. Same comfort, more perfume, built for the same easy evenings.
The catch: it can be made in a cheap, jammy style that's as forgettable as bulk Merlot. And it rarely bites; it flatters. If you want a red with grip and argument, this is the wrong Greek grape, and Xinomavro is the one to try.
Look for: a Nemea bottle from a producer your shop stands behind, and ask them by name.
Read the Agiorgitiko deep dive
Mencía: the softness, with a lift
Bierzo, Spain · medium body, gentle tannin · men-THEE-ah
If you want the softness with a lift of freshness, Mencía is your bottle. From Bierzo and Galicia in northwest Spain, it's juicy and medium-bodied, with violet and red-berry perfume over gentle tannin. Our own guide puts it closer to a fragrant Pinot Noir or Cru Beaujolais than to anything plush.
Versus Merlot: approachable like Merlot, but brighter and more aromatic. It's the one to pour for someone who finds big reds tiring.
The catch: it's lighter than Merlot. If the round, mouthfilling weight is what you love, Mencía can read as thin beside it, and Agiorgitiko is the better swap.
Look for: a Bierzo bottle from a producer your shop stands behind, and ask them by name.
Finding a bottle
Both grapes are still overlooked, which is why good bottles often cost less than equivalent Merlot, and also why US shelves can be thin. Agiorgitiko usually sits in a Greek section, Mencía with Spain.
The Gaia Agiorgitiko in the box above was in stock at Wine.com when I checked in October 2026. Wine.com also listed Agiorgitiko from Skouras and Troupis, and a Semeli Nemea Reserve; I didn't open those pages, so check stock yourself. I haven't confirmed a Mencía online this month, so take "Bierzo" to your local shop and ask for it by name.
One thing I owe you plainly: I haven't scored these bottles side by side yet. When I have, the scores go here, and this guide gets shorter.
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Frequently asked questions
What wine should I try if I like Merlot?
Start with Agiorgitiko from Nemea in Greece: plum, red cherry and soft, round tannins, with a little more perfume than most Merlot. If you'd rather keep Merlot's ease and lose some weight, try Mencía from Bierzo in Spain.
What wine is most like Merlot?
Agiorgitiko, from Nemea in Greece, is the closest easy-drinking match: soft tannins, ripe plum and cherry, and a round body, with a little more perfume than most Merlot.
Is there a Spanish wine that tastes like Merlot?
Mencía, from Bierzo and Galicia in northwest Spain, is approachable like Merlot but brighter and more aromatic: juicy and medium-bodied, with violet and red-berry notes over gentle tannin.
Are these cheaper than Merlot?
Often, yes. Both grapes are still overlooked, so good bottles tend to cost less than equivalent Merlot. Look for Nemea for Agiorgitiko or Bierzo for Mencía, and a real producer.
How do you pronounce Agiorgitiko?
Ah-yor-YEE-tee-ko. The name scares people off; the wine is friendly.
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