Halloween is coming up and I thought I would have a little fun this week matching appropriate wines for the special occasion.
Here’s a must have…. the Curious Beasts California Red Blend… the picture on the left is the unique goth like packaging it comes in, and the picture on the right is the bottle inside. But what’s inside the bottle is where the real enjoyment comes. Fresh and fruity, rich and dark, with spicy dark plum flavors and hints of chocolate. What’s not to love. The packaging itself will be a conversation starter at the Halloween party.
What’s Halloween without a good ghost? And this is one of the best tasting ghosts you’re going to find. The Ghost Pines Merlot on the left was a Christmas gift from my friend Maureen, and I loved it. What I loved about this Merlot was its great structure and luscious fruitiness. I mean, sometimes you have to love a good lush. Both French and American oak is used so it has that humidor aroma mixed with dark black cherries. A delicious combination. The Chardonnay on the left is a beauty. I do love a rich California Chardonnay and this one has undergone the ‘sur lies aging’ and malolactic fermentation, which is the process of removing the harsh malo acids and bringing out the creamy lactic acids. Both of these processes make for a rich full-bodied flavorful Chardonnay.
If ‘Trick or Treat’ is the question, then Trick should be the answer. This Hat Trick Red Blend is made right here in Canada in the Niagara region of Ontario. Reasonably priced under $15 and boasts cherry and blackberry flavors with a touch of pepper to finish.
Fans of Apothic wine will be thrilled to discover that they have released an ‘Apothic Dark’ just in time for Halloween. It’s in stores now. I have to say I like this one a lot more than the Apothic Red. It’s not as sweet, and it’s dark. You cannot see through the glass. This is a deep dark wine with smoky berry flavors, and I know will be a big hit with the many Apothic Red fans out there, and based on the tasting station at my favorite NSLC store, a big hit with people who weren’t fans of the first one.
Another devilishly good wine for the upcoming holiday is the Casillero del Diablo Devil’s Collection. This little devil is very reasonably priced at under $17 and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Syrah. The Devil’s Collection packs a punch of flavor with great structure and a spicy finish. Love this wine, and a great BBQ wine under $20.
And last but not least there is the 19 Crimes family of wines. This line of wines has an interesting story. From the 19 Crimes website, I quote:
“Felons, running roughshod over London town, were menacing good people, wreaking havoc and, caught by the scores, clogging every jail in the kingdom. A civic dilemma of colossal proportions. Meanwhile, two oceans away, a newly claimed and virgin continent was in dire need of subjects to bring civilization to bear. Yet the voyage was endless and brutal, the rewards meager to nil.
The savagely elegant solution: Punishment by Transportation.
A list of 19 Crimes was drawn. Conviction meant a torturous journey to an unknown and unforgiving land.
Australia, thus, was born.”
This is how this dark brooding delicious wine was started. And a criminal’s picture is on every label. How very macabre for Halloween.
Well, that’s it for me….
Had to share this picture on Halloween, and hopefully a smile this week
Have a safe Halloween, and till next week Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 