Napa Valley Merlots to Give, Serve & Share for Merlot Month (& Into the Holidays)

Maybe you’ve seen the headlines, oddly Halloween-appropriate phrases like “The Sideways Curse is Lifted” or “Merlot is Ripe for Revival.” As we close out the month of October, aka “Merlot Month,” we’d like to cheer that Merlot is not having a moment; it’s having dozens of them!

As our three single-vineyard, 100% Napa Valley Merlots reveal, when crafted when grown in the right places, Merlot can be ovation-worthy all on its own. Check out a handful of ways you can give, serve, share and enjoy this luscious, and lusciously versatile, wine this Halloween weekend and throughout the holidays.

Choose Your Own Virtual Wine Tasting Adventure. Taste all three of our single-vineyard Merlots side by side. Compare and contrast Merlot and Cabernet from the same Napa Valley AVA, i.e. Harris Vineyard Merlot and John C. Sullenger Vineyard Cabernet in an Oakville mano e mano. Our virtual wine experiences are 100% customizable. We will ship preferred selections of wine to each person’s doorstep and work to coordinate a time that works for your whole group. Our virtual tasting hosts are knowledgeable and professional, not to mention engaging and fun, and these live-video events are a great way to elevate an online reunion, your next corporate meeting or an at-home happy hour with friends.

Sip it While Supporting a Local Restaurant!Our version of painting the town red? Filling our glasses with a lusicious Napa Valley red wine while nibbling something fantastic at a favorite restaurant or wine bar. Use our Wine Finder tool to find your favorite Nickel & Nickel wines – and the restaurants serving them. It’s as easy as entering your zip code, plugging in the maximum mile radius and doing a local search. Try it now.

Stay In and Uncork Your Favorite Bottle. Harris Vineyard Merlot with Pizza. Suscol Ranch Merlot with turkey and all the trimmings. And Bear Flat Vineyard Merlot with the winter-perfect chestnut and white truffle fettucine below! Our Nickel & Nickel Merlots possess juicy acidity, full and silky fruit and velvet tannins, so they pair well with a cornucopia of diverse flavors. A less-than-subtle way of saying, expertly crafted Napa Valley Merlot is a super-versatile Thanksgiving staple, and great to have on hand if you’re a frequent holiday host.

Share it with Your Favorite Wine Lovers. Tis the season to send and savor your favorite Napa Valley wines, and our single-vineyard Merlots are juicy and approachable in youth, pair gorgeously with an array of menus, and possess the structure and tannin framework to age gracefully. In other words, from novice to collector, our 100% Merlots shine as gifts for wine lovers of all types. And our wine gift gurus shine in the customer service department! Send them your lists, and they’ll take care of every detail. Whether you’re sending wine gifts to 5, 55 or 500, they’d love to work with you. Start the conversation here.

Don't forget to bookmark this decadent, Merlot-friendly fettucine. With its creamy parmesan sauce and warm, butter-sautéed chestnuts, it's fragrant, festive and effortlessly elegant.

Fettuccine with Chestnuts and White Truffles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Kosher salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

1 cup Parmesan, grated

18 ounces fresh fettuccine

Olive oil

1 cup chestnuts, peeled and chopped in quarters

Chives, finely sliced

Fresh white truffle, shaved

Method

For the Parmesan Cream Sauce: In a medium-sized pot, add heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan to make sure the cream does not curdle. Continue to simmer over medium heat for approximately 6-8 minutes, slightly reduced. Add mixture to your blender, along with grated parmesan. Blend the mixture on high for two minutes, or until it is completely puréed. Taste and season with salt if needed.

For the Fettuccine: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine for about four minutes, stirring occasionally. When it is tender but still firm to the bite, drain the pasta and toss with a drizzle of your favorite olive oil.

For the Chestnuts: In a small sauté pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add chestnuts and stir, coating them fully in butter. Season with salt and sauté approximately five minutes, until they turn a dark and golden on all sides.

Presentation

Fill four warmed bowls with fettucine. Ladle Parmesan cream on top of the pasta, then garnish with chestnuts and chives. Using a truffle shaver, crown each dish with four to five thin slices . Serve while still warm, pairing it with the luscious texture, deep plum flavors and toasted oak notes of Nickel & Nickel Bear Flat Merlot.