In Europe, the 1990s started out bleakly, with several subpar vintages—while Robert Parker and other critics lauded the wines coming out of Napa. Bordeaux saw much-improved conditions in 1994, and then in 1995 which was considered close to perfect. This vintage is considered a “sleeper” because the bottles from that year are still asleep, still closed—they’re not yet in their prime drinking window. It is also not quite as widely heralded as 1982, despite the quality. The next four years were great vintages in France and Italy, which are drinking amazingly right now across the board.

The 2000s started with a historically fantastic year in France and a quiet one in California. One of the most pivotal events of the decade for wine attitudes in the United States actually came at the box office with the 2004 release of the movie Sideways. In the film, the main character Miles and his engaged friend Jack escape to California wine country for one final weekend of bonding. Miles, a wine aficionado, is obsessed with Pinot Noir and hates Merlot. His most famous line in the movie comes when he’s about to go on a blind date set up by Jack. “If anyone orders Merlot,” he says, “I’m leaving. I am not drinking any fucking Merlot.”

After Sideways, Merlot sales tanked and prices fell. They're only now beginning to recover. Meanwhile, the opposite happened with Pinot Noir, particularly from Santa Barbara. Its sales went through the roof, and prices have been climbing ever since. Ironically, the wine the character Miles kept in his closet and coveted the most, a 1961 Cheval Blanc, which he ended up drinking from a paper bag while eating a burger at a fast-food restaurant, is predominantly Merlot. In fact, some of the world’s top wines are made from Merlot grapes, like Petrus, Château Lafleur, Le Pin, or Château Vieux Certan, all of which come from Pomerol, a sub-appellation from the Right Bank of Bordeaux that focuses primarily on Merlot as the single or primary base of the wine. These wines are very expensive and coveted by collectors and the wine trade.