Is merlot wine good for your health? No alcohol in excess is. However in terms of the amount of antioxidants it contains, merlot ranks quite high for the wine category. Remember though, the effect you get from alcohol - whether the most subtle buzz or downright drunkenness - is caused by the release of Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) neurotransmitters. This inhibits how your brain works, much in the same way that oxygen deprivation does. A vast body of research has proven that over time, this has the ability to permanently affect your brain for the worse. Many respected authorities on nutrition recommend one glass as being fine, sometimes two, but anything beyond that is not a good idea. The health benefits don't increase after one glass and in fact, decrease, because of the negative effects of more alcohol.
ORAC Source
USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 - Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - May 2010