Some recoveries happen more quickly than others. A light scratch can heal overnight while a deep cut can take days or even weeks to repair. But when you are an innocent grape varietal, unfairly maligned at the expense of a Hollywood movie plot, well, it can take quite awhile to bounce back. Thus is the fate of merlot, whose character assassination was offered up as the antagonist in the 2004 movie, “Sideways.”

While the wine-themed tale of love and woe certainly helped bring Central Coast (California) wines — particularly pinot noir — into the spotlight, it is no secret that shortly following the movie’s release, sales of Merlot dropped more than 10 percent in the United States. Thanks, in part, to the now-famous quote were Paul Giamatti’s grouchy wine-putz-of-a-character, Miles, confides to his friend before a dinner-date, “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any (explicative) Merlot.” Mark Oldman, author of “Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine” dubbed the phenomenon, “The ‘Sideways’ effect.” Fast-forward five years later, Merlot is thankfully on the mend and back on the shelves.