Coke.
I am not joking.
Liver and fava beans?
According to famed wine enthusiast and occassional cannibal Hannibal Lector, the Chianti is the best pairing with that dish although I find a Super Tuscan actually opens up the iron and copper tang in lightly braised liver.
Stranger
I don’t pretend to be a “connoisseur”, but I do drink a lot of wine (maybe “wino” would be apt? 
). My view is that there so much variation among most common varietals, especially common reds like Merlot and Cab Sauv, that it’s really not very meaningful to talk about pairing a generic varietal with a particular food. Most such varietals are blends anyway, further complicating generic comparisons. I would typically be inclined to say “pair this food with a robust deep red like xxx” where “xxx” names a specific wine (and maybe even specific vintage, too), or “pair it with a light, young fruity red such as yyy”.
And yes, a decent Merlot should be quite dry.
That’s not philistine at all. Most (frankly, I think all) wines should be served slightly chilled, even deep, tannic reds. If you want to really pick up some snob points, send a cabernet sauvignon back for being too chambré. 
(Though you say slightly above room temperature – I assume that’s a joke that you keep your house fairly cold? I’d go for something like 62-64 for heavy reds, even cooler for lighter ones – like 58-60 or so, and mid 50s for most whites.)
I think the idea of “room temperature” for reds is a holdover from Old Europe where “room temperature” often meant something notably cooler than we think of. That said, I don’t fret too much about temperature. My best wines are kept in a nook in the basement where they do tend to stay cool winter and summer, and are brought up just before serving. But the cheaper stuff stays upstairs and I’m just fine with it at normal room temperature. I never actually chill reds, but that’s just me. Whites definitely have to be chilled. My usual practice is to let them sit out a bit before serving because refrigerator temperature is definitely too cold for most good whites.
I had a college roommate who insisted on physically measuring the temperature of the crappy plonk we could afford. Pretentious? Lui?
Nope, a red merlot. I’ve tried different labels, and they all taste sweet to me.
Maybe it’s just me. Any bourbon I’ve ever had tastes sweet to me so I don’t drink bourbon.
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Bourbon is usually considered sweet.
The powder or the liquid?
I almost never drink bourbon (and have never bought it) but a friend brought over quite an expensive bottle once, and it definitely had notes of sweetness. It was actually quite pleasant, but I’d never pay $80 for it, or whatever it was.
As for merlot, I’ve never had any that I would describe as “sweet”. Just different degrees of dryness and different levels of tannin. Even the cheap Spanish merlot and tempranillo blend that I buy a lot of because it’s such a terrific value is rated as “D” for dry, and is somewhat sweeter than most French-style merlots and cabs that tend to be rated “VD” (very dry), but in no way could be described as “sweet”.
We call it katemba in Southern Africa, but yes, same thing.
A thing I learned in some wine classes recently is that our brains often process, “fruity,” as, “sweet.” New World merlots are often very fruit-forward, so assuming you’re drinking a California merlot, I would suggest that what you’re really picking up is very aggressive ripe fruit flavors; there should be no residual sugar left in the wine. I think it can go well with barbecue, or frankly any roast meat. Might pair well with duck.
On the other hand, merlot is responsible for some of the most exalted wines in Bordeaux, where it is a lot more subtle on the fruit. If you see a wine from Saint-Émilion or Pomerol, for example, it will be merlot-dominant. Your local big wine shop (Total Wine, for example) should have a few affordable Bordeaux from these regions hanging around. It can be fun to do a New World v. Old World comparison to see how climate and winemaking styles can have such a marked impact on the same grape.
That’s what I was wondering. I perceive most bourbons as sweet (the high-rye ones straddle the line), but I find merlots dry. Many are, though, as you say, “fruity,” so I wonder if that’s what the OP is remarking on. Do you find “jam bombs” like zinfandel and some shirazes as “sweet”?