This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Northstar Winery, one of the #MerlotMe event sponsors. Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. October has arrived. That means the air has a little bit of a chill in the morning; I actually dug jeans and a sweater out of my closet yesterday. It means squash and apples are in the markets in full force. It means I have roasts and soups on the brain. And, mostly importantly for this post, it heralds the official start of #MerlotMe month. Yes, that's right: an entire month filled with Merlot-food pairings made all the more fun with the samples of Merlot from all around that keep appearing on my doorstep! Besides getting to play with food and wine, I love that every year I receive wines from winemakers that I have never tried before. This is the perfect case in point. I received a bottle of the 2014 Merlot from Northst...