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Halloween wines scare up good taste
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When people think of holiday wines they think about Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas and Hanukkah.
But with wines for just about any occasions, and increasingly zany labels, it’s time to consider Halloween. I put together a Halloween elementary school parade of scary wines with black cats, monsters, phantoms, and ghosts.
If you’re planning a Halloween party, there are plenty of spooky wines to haunt the buffet and put out for your costumed friends. In wine stores every Halloween you see black and blood colored bottles of “Vampire” wine come out of hiding, moving to registers and end caps displays. I never tied it, but I heard it is good. The blood dripping bottle is a no-brainer for Halloween get togethers.
Sadly, few of the ghoulish wines I tried are readily available in Pennsylvania. You’ll have to haunt another state or scare up a special order to get these fun wines.
SIp this
“Bogle” is a Welsh word for goblin and the winery is one of my favorite sources of quality, inexpensive wines. It’s fitting then that Bogle Vineyards produce Phantom, a brew of petite sirah, zinfandel, and mourvedre. Bogle 2004 Phantom will bewitch you with smells of ripe, raisiny fruit with mint and cracked pepper. But the otherwise killer wine is a bit light and incongruously high in alcohol. Not available in Pennsylvania. $18. HHH 1/2
I picked up a bottle of Pure Evil while visiting my brother in Salem, Mass., among the witch stores and spooky shops. But I found this South African wine very pleasant and a value, despite being made with chardonnay — a less than favorite of mine. Pure Evil is pure delicious with crisp granny smith apple and lemongrass smells and ripe white grapefruit flavors. Soft and round, the wine is balanced with just the right alcohol and a tingle of acidy that leads to a long pronounced finish. Devilishly good. Not available in Pennsylvania. $12. HHHH
“Unleash the Beast” reads the cork as you open the aptly named wine called The Big Red Monster. The label is a throwback to 1950s horror movie posters including screaming pedestrians, a distressed damsel, and purple monster that looks like Dionysus gone bad.
Find your potion
This all-California, non-vintage blend of zinfandel, syrah, and petite syrah pokes fun at terms “Big” and “Monster” applied to frighteningly powerful red wines. The monster has a deep purple color with a smell of ripe dark plum and cherry juice, nose of vanilla and clove. Light bodied with loads of fruity flavors, the monster is a bit of rubber and foam. Unlike some young, cheap cabs that would scare the tongue out of your mouth, The Big Red Monster is actually friendly, drinkable and very fun — all for a matinee price. Special order only in Pennsylvania. $12. HHHH
In German “Schwarze Katz” means black cat, and on Zeller Schwarze Katz 2007 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, that connection is as subtle as a brick, label featuring a black cat, back arched and claws bared, perched on a wine barrel. Low alcohol, only 9 percent, the wine is flat, insipid, and a reminder of the wine popular in the 1970s and ’80s that scared people away from German wines and varieties such as riesling. $14 for a 1.5 liter. HH 1/2
A blend of Napa and Sonoma grapes Ghost Pines 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is friendly and drinkable, a Casper of cabernets with ripe plum and dark fruit smells and black cherries and dark chocolate flavors. But light body and light structure, Ghost Pines is more like a merlot with a sheet over its head. Special order wine in Pennsylvania. $23. HHH 1/2
Fill your haunted house with these conversation pieces and have a spooktacular time.
David Falchek, a Times-Tribune business writer, reviews wines each week. Contact him at: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com
But with wines for just about any occasions, and increasingly zany labels, it’s time to consider Halloween. I put together a Halloween elementary school parade of scary wines with black cats, monsters, phantoms, and ghosts.
If you’re planning a Halloween party, there are plenty of spooky wines to haunt the buffet and put out for your costumed friends. In wine stores every Halloween you see black and blood colored bottles of “Vampire” wine come out of hiding, moving to registers and end caps displays. I never tied it, but I heard it is good. The blood dripping bottle is a no-brainer for Halloween get togethers.
Sadly, few of the ghoulish wines I tried are readily available in Pennsylvania. You’ll have to haunt another state or scare up a special order to get these fun wines.
SIp this
“Bogle” is a Welsh word for goblin and the winery is one of my favorite sources of quality, inexpensive wines. It’s fitting then that Bogle Vineyards produce Phantom, a brew of petite sirah, zinfandel, and mourvedre. Bogle 2004 Phantom will bewitch you with smells of ripe, raisiny fruit with mint and cracked pepper. But the otherwise killer wine is a bit light and incongruously high in alcohol. Not available in Pennsylvania. $18. HHH 1/2
I picked up a bottle of Pure Evil while visiting my brother in Salem, Mass., among the witch stores and spooky shops. But I found this South African wine very pleasant and a value, despite being made with chardonnay — a less than favorite of mine. Pure Evil is pure delicious with crisp granny smith apple and lemongrass smells and ripe white grapefruit flavors. Soft and round, the wine is balanced with just the right alcohol and a tingle of acidy that leads to a long pronounced finish. Devilishly good. Not available in Pennsylvania. $12. HHHH
“Unleash the Beast” reads the cork as you open the aptly named wine called The Big Red Monster. The label is a throwback to 1950s horror movie posters including screaming pedestrians, a distressed damsel, and purple monster that looks like Dionysus gone bad.
Find your potion
This all-California, non-vintage blend of zinfandel, syrah, and petite syrah pokes fun at terms “Big” and “Monster” applied to frighteningly powerful red wines. The monster has a deep purple color with a smell of ripe dark plum and cherry juice, nose of vanilla and clove. Light bodied with loads of fruity flavors, the monster is a bit of rubber and foam. Unlike some young, cheap cabs that would scare the tongue out of your mouth, The Big Red Monster is actually friendly, drinkable and very fun — all for a matinee price. Special order only in Pennsylvania. $12. HHHH
In German “Schwarze Katz” means black cat, and on Zeller Schwarze Katz 2007 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, that connection is as subtle as a brick, label featuring a black cat, back arched and claws bared, perched on a wine barrel. Low alcohol, only 9 percent, the wine is flat, insipid, and a reminder of the wine popular in the 1970s and ’80s that scared people away from German wines and varieties such as riesling. $14 for a 1.5 liter. HH 1/2
A blend of Napa and Sonoma grapes Ghost Pines 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is friendly and drinkable, a Casper of cabernets with ripe plum and dark fruit smells and black cherries and dark chocolate flavors. But light body and light structure, Ghost Pines is more like a merlot with a sheet over its head. Special order wine in Pennsylvania. $23. HHH 1/2
Fill your haunted house with these conversation pieces and have a spooktacular time.
David Falchek, a Times-Tribune business writer, reviews wines each week. Contact him at: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thetimes-tribune.com.
Deborah wrote on Oct 18, 2008 8:29 AM:
" I have tried Vampire and I wasn't impressed. To me it had a funny taste to it that I didn't like and I love all manner of red wine. I can't put into words what exactly was wrong with the wine that's how distasteful it was to me. Granted, I tried this wine several years ago and everyone knows that wines change from year to year...but I won't take the change on blowing my money on a substandard bottle of wine solely because of it's gimmicky name. Bogle, btw, is WONDERFUL! "
