Our take

Red Diamond Merlot Washington Red Wine

GSW Score87/ 100

Shoppers really like it. A mechanical score from 3 shopper ratings on the store listing, checked Aug 12, 2026. It sits in the top 43% of the 514 wines we have scored, measured against the shelf on Sep 16, 2026. How we score

Style
Red wine
Size
750 ml
Grape
Merlot
Region
Washington State
Shelf barcode
0088586001123
Red Diamond Merlot Washington Red Wine bottle
Vendor listing image · stored in the Grocery Store Wine image archive

Our take

What we make of this bottle

Merlot ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, and grape guides say that head start tends to make it rounder, with tannin that in many examples pushes less hard and with plum or other dark fruit in the glass; climate and any blending can leave it fresh and medium-bodied or turn it broad and rich. This bottle comes from Washington, where the Cascade Range keeps most of the Pacific's rain off the eastern half of the state, giving those vineyards warm days, cold nights, and a real risk of winter frost. The state counts 21 official growing areas, a few of them reaching into Oregon, so its name marks a wide stretch of country rather than one plot of ground.

3 shoppers have rated it, averaging 5 out of five, and it ranks among the lower-priced reds we track. We have not been able to confirm the winery's own account of this bottle, and our September 2026 checks put its cheapest tag at $10.99 and its dearest at $17.99.

More from the desk.

Related bottles with a written overview and a public evidence file.

The prices we checked

Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.

The regular price can vary by store and date.

Research status

What we are still checking

Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.

Region guideWashington State

A little background helps this bottle make sense.

Getting to know Washington State.

A Washington label can point to a large state blend or to a narrower AVA. Most vineyards are east of the Cascade Range, but the exact AVA still matters because elevation, wind, rain and frost exposure change across the state.

The place

What the name means

Washington is a state origin, not one American Viticultural Area. Its wine regions include 21 federally recognized AVAs, some shared with Oregon.

Weather

How grapes grow here

The Cascade Range blocks much of the Pacific rain from eastern Washington. That creates generally dry growing conditions with warm summer days, cool nights and winter frost risk, while western sites have stronger marine influence.

Soil

What lies under the vines

Flood deposits, windblown silt, sand, gravel and volcanic material occur across Washington wine country. A state name alone does not identify one soil or vineyard setting.

How large the region is

Recognized AVAs
21 wine-growing areas are listed by the Washington State Wine Commission.
Label resolution
Washington State is broader than an AVA, so the bottle or producer must establish a more specific place.

Places within the region

Columbia Valley
A very large AVA that contains many of Washington's smaller wine regions and crosses into Oregon.
Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley
Two established AVAs within the broader eastern Washington landscape, each with its own boundaries and local conditions.
Grape guideMerlot

The grape name gives context. It is not a review of this bottle.

Getting to know Merlot.

Merlot is a red grape that can make a complete wine or soften a Cabernet-led blend. It generally ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and often has a rounder structure.

Category guide

What to expect in the glass

Regional guides describe plum and other red or dark fruit, with less forceful tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon in many examples. Climate and blending can make it fresh and medium-bodied or broader and richer.

Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 28 Merlot wines we cover →

Where this information comes from

Store listing
Price, package, product identifier, and shopper rating. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
Barcode
The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
Method
Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.

Report a correction or bottle mismatch.