For those of you who read my cover story today (Oct. 15) “Bringing Back Merlot,” I apologize for the late posting. It’s been a crazy morning. What we’re discussing here is where Merlot and Pinot Noir stand four years after “Sideways.”

So here it is: According to The Nielsen Co., the consumer market research firm, the noble grape, Merlot, remains the second most purchased wine variety in the nation for a year-long period ending in June (that’s been steady for the past eight years). Sales have sagged a little in volume though - down 2.2 percent from a year ago, and in dollars earned, down 0.4 percent. But that’s it.

What’s important to remember and has been a large misconception of the “Sideways” Effect is that while the film helped Pinot Noir spike in volume and dollar sales (between 17 and 30 percent a year since 2004) it did not cause a devastating slump in Merlot by any means. If you look at the numbers, it just remained steady, not seeing much growth either way. This comes from market research culled by Chris Phelps of Swanson Vineyards and “Merlove” filmmaker Rudy McClain, Merlot advocates featured in my story.

And, as we saw with Merlot in the late 1980s and early 1990s, growth is not always good. Thanks to “Sideways,” Pinot Noir has been one of the most planted varieities in the Lodi district over the past five years. Lodi. I don’t know many growers would recommend steamy, Syrah and Zinfandel country as prime Pinot real estate.

But according to last year’s California Grape Acreage Report, there were 335 bearing acres and 735 non-bearing acres of Pinot as of last September. And many many more acres - as much as 50 percent more - were planted in the second half of 2007 and 2008. So my sources say a good working number of Pinot Noir acres in that area would be around 1500. Plant it and they will drink? That doesn’t work. There are no such things as good grapes and bad grapes, just responsible growers and winemakers who leave the corn dirt to corn.

So if they used to call Merlot the “woman’s Cabernet” they may have to call future Pinot Noir a man’s Kool-Aid.