Merlot DOP Venezia Famiglia Boron

Famiglia Boron Merlot Venezia DOC

Famiglia Boron Merlot is a smooth, fruit-led red from Annone Veneto, with blackberry, raspberry and soft, elegant tannins. Made from 100% Merlot and sitting at around 12.5% ABV, it has enough body for dinner without becoming heavy, overly alcoholic or tiring by the second glass.

This is the sort of red that is very easy to get along with.

There’s plenty of fruit, but it isn’t sweet or jammy. There’s structure, but the tannins are rounded rather than aggressive. And because Boron ages the wine in stainless steel rather than loading it with oak, the character of the Merlot stays right at the front.

For us, that makes it an extremely useful bottle to have in the house.

What does Famiglia Boron Merlot taste like?

In the glass it is an intense ruby red with violet reflections.

The nose is immediately recognisable as Merlot, but it doesn’t go down the route of huge, overripe black fruit.

Blackberry and raspberry are the key fruit characters, giving the wine a mixture of darker fruit depth and fresher red-berry lift.

There’s a naturally vinous quality too – the sort of aroma that simply makes you think of a proper glass of red wine rather than vanilla, oak or added sweetness.

On the palate, the wine feels savoury and well balanced.

The tannins are soft, rounded and elegant, which is one of the things that makes this Merlot particularly approachable.

It has enough grip to work with meat, but there’s no harsh drying finish to fight with your dinner.

The fruit carries through nicely, and the wine finishes smooth and composed.

In other words, this is Merlot doing what Merlot does best: generous fruit, a soft texture and enough structure to keep things interesting.

A Merlot that doesn’t need a special occasion

One of the nicest things about this wine is how uncomplicated it is to enjoy.

That doesn’t mean simple or boring.

It means you don’t need to plan your evening around the bottle.

Open it with a Sunday roast. Pour it with pasta. Put it on the table with roast chicken. Have a glass with some leftover cold meat and cheese. Or open it simply because you fancy a red that isn’t going to demand your full attention.

Boron actually describes the wine as pleasant even between meals, and we can see why.

The tannins are soft enough for drinking on its own, while the blackberry and raspberry give it enough fruit to feel immediately welcoming.

Made by the Boron family in Veneto

The Boron family has been making wine in this part of Veneto since 1954.

The story began with Remigio and Amedeo Boron, with the knowledge and experience now passed down to the next generation – Sabrina, Andrea and Roberto Boron.

The winery is based at Loncon di Annone Veneto, in the Lison Pramaggiore wine country of north-eastern Italy.

What we like about Boron is that there is a proper family history behind the wines, but the winemaking itself is modern where it needs to be.

Temperature-controlled fermentation, stainless-steel tanks and careful grape handling allow the family to make clean, consistent wines without covering up the natural character of the grape.

That’s particularly useful with Merlot.

Merlot already has softness and generous fruit. It doesn’t need to be buried under lots of oak to make it interesting.

How is Famiglia Boron Merlot made?

This wine is made from 100% Merlot grown around Annone Veneto.

The grapes are normally harvested around the middle of September.

Once at the winery, the juice remains in contact with the grape skins for around 10–14 days during fermentation.

This takes place in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature of approximately 24–27°C.

The skin contact gives the wine its colour, flavour and tannin, while careful temperature control helps keep the fruit fresh.

The wine then completes malolactic fermentation, which softens its natural acidity and contributes to the rounded texture you notice in the glass.

After fermentation, Boron gives the Merlot around four months in stainless-steel tanks, followed by approximately two months in bottle.

There is no heavy oak treatment.

The emphasis stays firmly on the Merlot itself – blackberry, raspberry, softness and balance.

What should you eat with it?

Merlot is one of those reds that earns its place at the dinner table because it works with such a broad range of food.

Boron recommends it with both red and white meats, roasted poultry and hunter-style dishes.

A British roast beef is a very easy place to start. The wine has enough fruit and structure for the beef and gravy, while its softer tannins stop the pairing becoming too heavy.

It also makes an excellent red for roast chicken. Merlot is soft enough not to overpower the meat, particularly when there are herbs, crispy skin, roast potatoes and gravy involved.

For something more Italian, try it with pollo alla cacciatora. Tomato, herbs and slow-cooked meat are exactly the sort of savoury flavours this wine enjoys.

And on a colder evening, we wouldn’t hesitate to put it alongside a proper lasagne. Merlot’s fruit works nicely with tomato and meat while the soft tannins suit the richness of cheese and pasta.

We’d also happily pour it with:

• Roast beef
• Roast chicken
• Roast turkey
• Grilled pork
• Rabbit alla cacciatora
• Chicken cacciatora
• Lasagne
• Beef ragù
• Meatballs in tomato sauce
• Beef stew
• Roasted vegetables
• Rustic pasta dishes

If dinner is already decided and the bottle isn’t, have a look through our food and wine pairing guide. There are more than 300 dishes to search, from Italian classics to roast dinners and British favourites.

Who is this Merlot for?

If you like smooth reds and don’t want a mouthful of aggressive tannin, Boron Merlot is an easy bottle to recommend.

It should particularly appeal if you enjoy wines where the fruit is obvious but the finish remains properly dry.

You get blackberry and raspberry, but not jam.

You get body, but not excessive alcohol.

You get tannin, but it is soft and rounded rather than drying.

That’s a very useful combination.

It also makes this a good red for people who are beginning to explore beyond their usual bottle. Merlot is familiar enough not to feel risky, while the Veneto origin gives you something a little different from the Merlots found in most supermarkets.

How should you serve it?

Serve Boron Merlot at around 16–18°C.

Boron recommends opening the bottle ahead of drinking it, and we agree that a little air helps.

You don’t need to turn it into a ritual. Open the bottle before you start cooking and let it sit while dinner comes together.

If your house is particularly warm, especially in summer or with the heating on, give the bottle a short spell somewhere cool before serving.

Red wine that is too warm can taste flatter and heavier than it really is.

A standard red-wine glass is absolutely fine.

Wine details

Producer: Famiglia Boron / Azienda Agricola Boron
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Area: Annone Veneto
Grape: 100% Merlot
Classification: Venezia DOC
Style: Dry Italian red wine
ABV: 12.5%
Colour: Intense ruby red with violet reflections
Aroma: Vinous with delicate blackberry and raspberry
Taste: Savoury and well balanced
Tannins: Soft, rounded and elegant
Residual sugar: Approximately 4.00g/l
Total acidity: Approximately 5.00g/l
Serving temperature: 16–18°C
Food pairing: Red and white meats, roast poultry and hunter-style dishes
Harvest: Mid-September
Vinification: 10–14 days of skin maceration at controlled temperature followed by malolactic fermentation
Ageing: Four months in stainless steel followed by two months in bottle
Winery: Boron family winemaking tradition since 1954

Why we chose it

Merlot doesn’t need reinventing.

It just needs to be made well.

Boron gives you the things we actually want from the grape: blackberry and raspberry fruit, a smooth palate and soft, elegant tannins.

There’s no wall of oak and no attempt to make it unnecessarily powerful.

Instead, it is balanced, food-friendly and genuinely easy to drink.

That’s why we think it works so well as an everyday red.

You can serve it with a Sunday roast, open it with Italian comfort food or pour a glass without cooking anything at all.

It’s the sort of Merlot we’d happily recommend to someone who simply wants a good bottle of red without having to think too hard about it.

If you fancy comparing it with something else, browse our Italian red wine collection for more bottles from family producers across Italy.