In this thesis, we examined the production of grapes and wine of the 'Merlot' variety in the wine-growing district of Goriška Brda. Data on the total vineyard area, as well as vineyard areas by variety and their respective shares, were obtained from the Register of Grape and Wine Producers (RPGV) for the years 2012 and 2022. Data on the quality of 'Merlot' grapes for the period 2014 to 2023 were obtained from the database of the Institute of agriculture and forestry Nova Gorica, which annually monitors the ripening dynamics of most grapevine varieties, while data on the quality of Merlot wines for the period from 2015 to 2024 were sourced from the Bakhus database managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. Data from the RPGV show that the 'Merlot' variety remains the leading red variety in Brda, with its share increasing from 11 percent in 2012 to 16 percent in 2022. In the period from 2014 to 2023, 'Merlot' grapes produced in Brda at technological maturity reached an average sugar content of 21.4±1.7 °Brix, total acidity of 5.2±1 g/l, pH of 3.5±0.1, and a mass of 100 berries of 151.3±21.9 g. In the period 2015 to 2024, Merlot wine had an average alcohol content of 13.1±0.1 vol%, total acidity of 5.3±0.2 g/l, pH of 3.6±0.04, reducing sugars of 2.6±1.4 g/l, total extract of 28.5±0.6 g/l, and received an average organoleptic score of 17.25±0.14. The largest variations in grape quality were observed in 2014, while for Merlot wines the greatest differences were found in 2021, particularly in the above-average values of total acidity, total extract, reducing sugars, and the highest organoleptic score. These data provide valuable insights into trends in grape and wine production of the 'Merlot' variety in the Goriška Brda wine-growing district, which may be of interest to winegrowers and winemakers when deciding on variety selection and varietal wine production.
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