I'm coming late to Merlot, and in particular, to Washington Merlot. But I've discovered I really like Merlot, not only in terms of the traditional pairing with X and X, but in terms of pairing with high quality dark chocolate. As far as I'm concerned, Merlot and chocolate are the perfect synergistic pairings—plus, they're good for you!

Merlot's popularity apparently took a hit after the movie Sideways was released; I've not seen it, so I'm not sure how much damage to associate with the film, but I do know that Merlot is referred to dismissively as a has been. I'm here to tell you that they couldn't possibly have tried Washington Merlots. But on this coming Thursday, March 25, there's going to be a national Washington Wine Merlot Twitter tasting, organized primarily by Josh of DrinkNectar.com. The basic idea is to find a Washington Merlot, drink it, and then Tweet about it between 5 and 7 pm PT on Thursday the 25th of March. When you Tweet, use the hashtag of #WAMerlot so that others can follow you.

For a more formal explanation, and to make a reservation (free and not required, but it's a good way to meet others interested in Washington wine, and Merlot) go here.

If you're new to Twitter, it's a free Web service that allows you to do "micro blogging." It's sort of a cross between a blog post and an "instant message," because Twitter posts (Tweets) are limited to 140 characters. You can create a free Twitter account here. It's really simple, and rather fun. All you need is a Web browser, access to the Internet, and some Washington Merlot. If you're planning on trying a Washington Merlot at a restaurant or bar, there are free Twitter apps for most phones and computers. TweetDeck is a popular one. Just remember to include the hashtag #WAMerlot so others can follow your "virtual tasting."

A number of Washington wineries are offering special discounts and deals; you can find a list here, thanks to Bean of the fabulous Wine and Beer of Washington State Website and blog.

I note that both Fred Meyers and Haggen are featuring some nifty discounts on Washington wine all month long, and there are plenty of Merlots to choose from, ranging from under 7.00 to over 50.00, so there's something for everyone's pocket and palate.

And if you're shy about trying Twitter, the fabulous Sean Sullivan of Washington Wine Report has said that people can leave comments on his March Virtual Tasting blog post on March 25, and he'll copy it to Twitter for you.

I'll be participating for sure; I think it's going to be fun and interesting, and it's a great way to let people all over the world know how fabulous Washington wine can be.