<P> The earliest recorded mention of Merlot ( under the synonym of Merlau ) was in the notes of a local Bordeaux official who in 1784 labeled wine made from the grape in the Libournais region as one of the area 's best . In 1824 , the word Merlot itself appeared in an article on Médoc wine where it was described that the grape was named after the local black bird ( called merlau in the local variant of Occitan language , mèrle in standard ) who liked eating the ripe grapes on the vine . Other descriptions of the grape from the 19th century called the variety lou seme doù flube ( meaning `` the seedling from the river '' ) with the grape thought to have originated on one of the islands found along the Garonne river . </P>
where was the merlot wine grape originally grown
thought to have originated on one of the islands found along the Garonne river