Editing Merlot (section)

=== Spain ===
In the hot [[continental climate (wine)|continental climate]] of many of Spain's major wine regions, Merlot is less valued than it is in the damp [[maritime climate (wine)|maritime climate]] of Bordeaux or the warm [[Mediterranean climate (wine)|Mediterranean climate]] of the Tuscan coast.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/> But as the popularity of [[international varieties]] continue to grow on the world wine market, Spanish wine producers have been experimenting with the variety with even winemakers in [[Rioja (wine)|Rioja]] petitioning authorities to allow Merlot to be a permitted grape to be blended with [[Tempranillo]] in the red wines of the region.<ref name="Clarke pg 129-133"/>

In 2008, there were {{convert|13,325|ha|acres}} of Merlot, a significant increase from the {{convert|8700|ha|acres}} that were being cultivated in the country only four years earlier.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/> In 2015, this had dropped slightly to {{convert|13,044|ha|acres}}, making Merlot the eighth most planted red grape variety in Spain. The largest concentration of the grape is in the Mediterranean climate of [[Catalan wine|Catalonia]] and the continental climate of [[Castilla–La Mancha]], with significant plantings also in [[Navarra (wine)|Navarra]] and [[Aragon]]. In [[Costers del Segre]], the grape is often used in Bordeaux-style blends while in [[Aragon]], [[Navarra (wine)|Navarra]], and [[Castilla-La Mancha]] it is sometimes blended with Tempranillo and other local Spanish wine grape varieties.