According to lore, on a dark and stormy night in 1816, Mary Shelley and a few of her friends (including Lord Byron, natch) set out on a quest to create their own ghost stories. As often happens at parties, when maybe a bit of wine has been consumed, she drew a blank. Yet several nights later, she dreamt about a ‘pale student of unhallowed arts’ kneeling beside his creation — who was a total monster!
And with that her classic gothic novel Frankenstein was unearthed.
For this Halloween, I’d like to suggest a disturbingly dark, yet flavorful, 19 Crimes Frankenstein Cabernet Sauvignon. The fun talking label (scan the QR code to make Frankie come alive) is your invitation to come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab.
Click the video below for some more spooky fun!
As towering in flavor as Frankie is in height, this is a wickedly robust red. Flavors of dark cherry, black currant, and rich chocolate will electrify your taste buds, pulling them out of the doldrums, across the moors and into the light.
Its tannins and medium-high acidity help cleanse the palate, balancing rich or fatty foods. It’s a bold and hearty creature and can deftly handle peppery sauces, marinades, and spices such as turmeric, caraway, and coriander.
Pairs well with: rich grilled meats — beef, lamb, venison, and cheeses such as aged Cheddar, smoked Gouda, Muenster.
Price point: $18.00
So put down your torches and pitchforks and take some time to enjoy this wine for your monster chiller horror night. And when you turn off the lights, you’ll see how the label glows in the dark. Too fun!
It’s a crisp October night. Candles lit, you nestle in with a great horror novel. The moon is full, suddenly there’s the sound of leaves rustling outside. You shake off the sensation of the hairs standing up on the back of your neck. It’s just silly jitters. And then you hear the scratching at the window…
One of my favorite Halloween novels is Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot. I also loved the classic 1979 film version to get my creep on and send shivers down my spine. The freaky glowing eyes, the glimpse of fangs in the moonlight, the creepy little kids wanting to come in and play, the slow creak of the rocking chair in the empty room upstairs. And that house.
Lore tells you never to invite a vampire inside your home. But these two are ok. Let them in.
Organically grown in France’s Loire Valley, this Bloody wine is made from hand-harvested Grolleau grapes. Picking by hand is what can account for a higher price point. This is labour intensive work. Similar to Pinot Noir, this grape variety is thin-skinned, has fewer tannins, and is very susceptible to damage and disease. Extra care must be taken. Whole cluster fermentation is also used to impart more of a fruit forward quality and give a bright acidity on the palate.
The color is a bright, vibrant red as it pours. It seems to levitate just like Danny Glick floating to your window.
On the nose: • blackberry • cherry
Flavor profile: • sour cherry ( a little like a Jolly Rancher) • herbaceous • earthy vibe
Pairs well with: • Red peppers staked with goat cheese • Grilled seasoned chicken • Mild creamy cheeses • Patè
Daylight is beginning an early decline, the shadows getting longer. A chilling breeze causes the leaves outside to rustle, and your candle to flicker and then blow out. You hear a scratching at the window…
Don’t be frightened…it’s just me with my annual Halloween wine round up! 🎃🍷
If you know your vampire lore, you have to invite me in.🧛🏻♀️
But first, click the video below for more fun!👇
This year, we’ll become familiar with three. And since I never play favorites, here they are in no particular order:
🎃Banshee – 2018 Pinot Noir – Sonoma County With a cooler than usual start to their growing season, and moderate temperatures throughout the summer, the fruit yielded an offering with intense flavors and optimal acidity. This wine was then left to its slumber for 9 months in new French oak casks.
Shhhh…. don’t wake the master!
•Flavor profile: sweet | tart mix of bright cherry, raspberry, tea and vanilla.
Awaken your senses with this lush warm – climate Syrah. From Michael David Winery (they make a wonderful Petit Petit), this is darker than Cabernet Sauv with lots of antioxidants and lends well to aging (the wine, not you). It will come out of the botttle with a big, bold bite at the start that gently settles into a gentle warming spice on the finish.
So how can you tell if your wine is a warm climate or cool climate offering? Let your sixth sense guide you (or just check the alcohol level on the label). Warmer regions have alcohol levels of more than 14%+, cooler regions less than 14%. This wine checks in at 15%.
•Aromas: blackberry, boysenberry, fig, dark chocolate & allspice.
•Pairs well with: grilled or roasted lighter meats – especially pork spare ribs, tender chicken thighs, anything with a little fattiness to rip into the high tannins; fragrant, softer cheeses with lavender, fennel or thyme.
•Price Point: $15.99
👻Halloween fun trick: say, “Sixth Sense Syrah” 5x, as fast as you can after drinking a full glass. And please video it and upload to the comments if you dare! Lol
Sink your teeth into this cozy throuple of Zinfandel | Cab Sauv | Merlot, aged in American and French oak. It summons the dark arts of flavor. Lodi’s climate is more like the Mediterranean; warm days and cool nights to grow intense, ripe grapes with wonderful structure and style. Flavors meld together to hit you like a stake through the heart.
•Flavor profile: blackberry, dark cherry, mocha, toasted oak, whisper of smooth caramel.
•Aromas: spice and pepper with a little bite of jammy berry.
•Pairs well with: Any good cut of red meat, BBQ beef kabobs, beef tenderloin; cheeses such as aged Gruyere, Havarti, Parmesan and Gorgonzola.
It says right on the label that meat was made for this wine so choose anything juicy and red from the meat counter and feel free to char broil. The smokier the better as it will pair beautifully with the robust spiciness of this wine.
•Price Point: $11.99
So now you have a few treats to get you going this Halloween season. Whether you’re doing a little socializing or staying in your catacombs with a good scary movie, cheers!🍷🧡
Well look who’s ready for a Halloween at home! 🎃🧛🏻♀️🍷
With tricks and treats around the corner, this year, you want to stay extra safe. So wash your hands often, wear your mask, and don’t go near the woodshed that belongs to the creepy guy who lives at the end of the dark road… Like downing one too many tequila shots, nothing good can come of it.
My Halloween this year consists of maybe making a candy chute for trick or treaters, and being distanced from friends and neighbors. But that’s ok. It’s where we’re all at right now. And wine pairs well with pretty much everything this year has thrown at us.
So… without further delay…my All Hallows wine picks for this unprecedented year.🙃🍷
Click below to see the video👇 and then read the roundup beneath!
A very bright blend of 40% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 30% Cab Sauv and 20% Petit Verdot. Tasting of cranberry, raspberry, and shining cherry, it was very bouncy in my skull goblet. Aged 10 months in French and American Oak casks, there’s some good body yet it still retains it’s lip-smacking vibe. That is, if you have lips, some zombies, sadly, don’t.
It pairs well with dark meat turkey, which has a fattier component (this helps cut into the bright acidity of the wine), roasted pork, creamy cheeses, and in particular bleu cheese.
It’s a pretty good wine for $14.99, and it has a cool “Living Label” app you can download to watch the dead ‘rise’ on your bottle! Spooky fun!🧟♂️
If you want a luscious, juicy red you can sink your teeth into, this is a great one. Unleash the cork and you’ll find dark, rich notes of jammy blackberry, mocha, vanilla, and whispers of spice. This is from Lodi, which is known for its spooktacular Zins.
It pairs well with deviled eggs, sinful short ribs, and cheeses with deeper flavors like smoked gouda, and sharp cheddars.
You don’t need to bargain with the devil for this Zin, it’s a steal at $9.99. Give it a little time in a decanter to really open up the vault of flavors. A treat indeed.
Whatever you find yourself enjoying this Halloween, please stay safe and don’t be afraid! It’s always darkest just before the dawn.💋
Chocolate. Red wine. Chocolate. A perfect pairing especially at Halloween. 🎃
I been gifted a bottle of Chocolate Shop wine a while ago but I was a little skeptical. I’ve tasted chocolate flavored wine that was basically a bottle of Bailey’s Irish. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but when you want a glass of red…
This wine was very different, especially when you first open it; an immediate chocolate vibe was instantly on the nose. Ok, it passed the first test- it smelled amazing- but I was still not convinced.
Right off the bat it was very sweet, a lot more than I normally like. But as I sipped further rounder, full-bodied notes of dark cherry, stewed blackberry emerged, melding with the chocolate vibe. I experimented with it by leaving the wine to aerate for about an hour, and found the flavor evolved into a rich, pleasing dark chocolate covered cherry.
This was a very different wine for me: My preferences are for earthier, beefy red wines that have a slight whisper of chocolate, as part of their fermentation but aren’t necessarily chocolate fortified. A fortified wine has an extra element added (in this case chocolate essence) that adds sweetness or additional alcohol. This wine was a cool, decadent combination treat.
It helps to keep an open mind – and to let it breathe for a while! My only caveat is to not pair this wine with anything too sweet. Most experts agree that sweet wines paired with sweet treats can be overwhelming ~ I ate a handmade sea salt caramel with this wine, and the sugar level was way over top! Stick to some mild, slightly savory cheeses.
Finally, the best way to enjoy any wine during Halloween is with a good scary movie. I paired this wine with ‘The Lost Boys‘, a neo-classic 80’s vampire movie. 🧛♂️🦇
What wine pairs well with… horror?!
If you’re scared enough, pretty much anything will do. But if you’re a brave undead slayer these three picks for 2017 will give you plenty of treats while waiting for Nosferatu to rise from the catacombs.
Blend of: Petit Syrah, Carignan, Zinfandel, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera
Tasting Notes:
🎃 full body ~ fine, soft tannin
🎃 blackberry, rich black cherry, baking spice, fruit forward
Pairing:
🎃 Beef, pork,
🎃 Salmon with chipotle chocolate sauce drizzle
👻 A 2014 shouldn’t need as much decanting but to bring out the full expression of these rich varietals, using a good aerator (if you don’t have time to fully decant) is a great idea.
It’s two days to ghoul and if you haven’t found something for your goblet, I have some suggestions for you. And you don’t have to go into the dark recesses of the catacombs to find them. Most were at World Market at spooktacular price points.
Remember a while back I wrote that when I make a bad pun, you can take a sip? Start now before they get really horrific.
Am I bewitched by a label? I confess, I am a big sucker for fun label art. HubbyDoug just looks at me, rolls his eyes and spins his head around a few times. Good thing he hasn’t started speaking in tongues; I might have to consult an exorcist.
I stayed with the blood reds this year, in keeping with the season. Here is my bare bones list, in no particular order:
Rest In Peace ~ 2011 California Red Wine Blend ~ I quite liked the fruit forward, raspberry jammy vibe. It settled into pleasant earthier tastes of tobacco, leather(face) and the tiniest whisper of chocolate on the finish. A nice sipping wine to keep the vampires from your door.
Monster Mash ~ 2012 Lodi Red Blend ~ A melding of Lodi Zinfandel and Petit Sirah. It surprisingly had a nose as thin as Slenderman. But no matter; it had a nice tobacco ` cherry vibe with high alcohol and oak flavors. If you have a taste for a somewhat grounded, yet bright red go for this mash. It’s a graveyard smash.
Trick ~ 2013 California Red Table Wine ~ The lightest in color, this Trick was a little more of a tart-y treat (kind of like most women’s Halloween costumes). It tasted of unripened strawberry and cherry, and reminded me a little of War Heads sour candy with its pucker-y, ‘get you in the sides of the mouth’ effect. Nice if you like a little zing in your wine.
Phantom ~ 2011 California Red ~ Bogle Vineyards ~ This phantom was no misty apparition, from the moment I opened the bottle I detected a spirited nose of rich, raspberry jam. It had the deepest blood red color of the four and tasted of blackberry with a little smoke. The flavours were subtle and lurking at first, then I slowly became aware of them. But I wasn’t afraid. This was a friendly ghost.
On All Hallow’s, the devil is in the details. And I hope these few suggestions help get you started to find the most fun for your celebrations. Scaring up some poison for fright night should be like child’s play. But stay away from the two buck Chuck(y).
The Wine Student 