Merlot

No, Merlot is a dry wine. It reads softer than Cabernet because it has gentler tannins and riper red-fruit flavors, but there's little residual sugar. Smooth isn't the same as sweet.

Plum, black cherry and raspberry with a velvety, round texture. Softer tannins and milder acidity than Cabernet, which is why it's often recommended to people new to red wine.

Both come from Bordeaux and both are dry, but Merlot is softer, fruitier and more approachable young, while Cabernet is more tannic, structured and age-worthy.

Very flexible — tomato-based pasta, pizza, roast chicken, braised meats, pork. Its softer profile means it won't bulldoze a dish the way a big Cabernet can.