Merlot Sangria (from The Black Trumpet Restaurant)

Merlot Sangria: Fresh, fruity and fun, Sangria made from a bottle of merlot and some fresh fruit is the adult beverage for summer.

As summer begins, we need to celebrate, and what better way than with tapas and sangria?

If you have school-age children (from kinder through college), the true first day of summer is measured by the last day of school. When you’re a parent, you measure the seasons not by the calendar, but by school holidays. AmIright?

So for all of us who made it hanging on by the fingernails through another school year, and by “all of us” I mean not only children and parents, but teachers, school staff and administrators, too, I raise my glass of Merlot Sangria, and say “cheers” to a job well done.

This vat of Merlot Sangria comes to us via Jose Becerra, the bartender since 2001 at The Black Trumpet restaurant in Huntington Beach, Calif. I had the pleasure of dining there, and he delighted in serving us from his bucket ‘o sangria. We loved it! It was fresh, fruity, eminently quaffable.

Check out Jose Becerra in the video below, serving up his Merlot Sangria. You’ll see he starts with ice in the glass, then ladles in the drink, and then ladles in some of the fruit floating on top.

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I had the pleasure of eating lunch at The Black Trumpet in Huntington Beach, Calif., sponsored by Melissa’s Produce. The restaurant, which specializes in Mediterranean tapas (small plates) from Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Morocco, wanted to show off their chops.

Take a gander at a few of their shockingly delicious tapas dishes!

Caponata (Sicilian eggplant dip)

Hummus (garbanzo dip)

Onion soup (served in a whole onion shell! Simply amazing.)

Cauliflower, quick fried, with sriracha and harissa aioli

Brussels sprouts and chorizo in a sumac vinaigrette

Pizzette pera, a pizza-flatbread with roasted pear, baby arugula, Gorgonzola and mozzarella

Lamb lollipop with Moroccan couscous and mint pesto

Veal meatball with house marinara and shaved pecorino

Mediterranean taco with a butter lettuce “shell,” grilled chicken, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, red onions, feta, Kalamata olives, oregano and tzaziki dip

Berry panna cotta

Who wants to go?
I’ll meet you there for happy hour and tapas!

The Black Trumpet
7041 Yorktown Ave.
Huntington Beach, California
(714) 842-1122

Want another sangria recipe, but with burgundy?

If you like Sangria, please also try my Fruity Burgundy Sangria ⇓

Thanks to Melissa’s Produce for hosting me for lunch. Photo credit: Many of the appetizer photos are by Melissa’s Produce, as well.
This was originally published June 11, 2019, and has been refreshed and republished today.

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Tagged as: merlot, red wine, restaurant, sangria, summer, summer drink, wine