Halloween is right around the corner and I have the perfect spooky wine recommendations for that creep-tastic costume party, trick-or-treating with the neighborhood parents, or just relaxing like the dead at home.
#1. Shinas Estate, $18
Shinas Estate in Victoria, Australia, makes a series of wines with spine-tingling labels, including The Verdict (Cabernet Sauvignon), The Guilty (Shiraz), The Innocent (Viognier), The Executioner (Shiraz, Cabernet, Viognier blend), and Sweet Justice (sparkling Moscato). These are all plump, fruit-forward wines, with The Guilty and Sweet Justice pairing particularly well with Halloween candy.
#2. The Walking Dead, $15
“An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled; there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Luckily there is wine…”
There are four The Walking Dead wines – Cabernet Sauvignon, Blood Red Blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Each of these wines features an augmented reality label that comes alive with the Living Wines Label app. I won’t give away what happens in the labels, but if you’re a fan of The Walking Dead TV show, these wines are a must-buy!
#3. Apothic Dark and Apothic Inferno, $15
Apothic Dark is a dangerous romance of Zinfandel, Syrah and Merlot, creating a smooth wine with blueberry, blackberry, coffee and dark chocolate flavors. Apothic Inferno has emerged from the flames with a whiskey soul, having been aged for 60 months in whiskey barrels. The red fruit contains touches of maple and spice.
#4. The Velvet Devil, $12
This deep, dark wine is devilishly good with flavors of red and blue fruit and a silky smooth texture that makes Merlot sexy again.
#5. 19 Crimes The Banished, $10
19 Crimes makes a series of infamous wines featuring labels with British criminals who will tell you their stories in augmented reality label using the Living Wines Label app. These stories are about the 19 Crimes that were punishable by banishing convicts to the Australian penal colony. The Banished Dark Red wine is dominated by Shiraz and supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. “Like the wine rations served on convict ships, every sip deserves to be savored.”
#6. The Culprit, $15
The Culprit is a monster red blend from Sonoma County, CA, that includes 9 different grape varieties! The primary varietals are Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, making this a scary big, bold and complex wine.
#7. Phantom, $20
Bogle Vineyards’ Phantom Red is a hauntingly delicious blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre. The spectre of this rich, jammy wine with dark fruit, black pepper, spice and vanilla will haunt you long after the last sip.
#8. Orin Swift Palermo, $45
The haunting label that graces Palermo, a Napa Valley red blend (Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec), is a chilling photo of an actual mummified priest wearing a red cape and a black hat, taken by a National Geographic photographer in a 16th century catacomb in Palermo, Sicily, after which the wine is named. The wine is rich, fruit-driven and approachable, with just a touch of oak.
#9. Eternally Silenced, $45
Eternally Silenced, a Pinot Noir from The Prisoner Wine Company in St. Helena, CA, will leave you speechless. This wine has dark red fruit flavors of cranberry and cherry along with herbaceous characters of pine needles and cedar, reminiscent of being chased through a dark forest by who-knows-what in the deepest of night.
#10. Derange, $80
Derange, produced by The Prisoner Wine Company, was made by hand-selecting their most insanely concentrated and intense wines to blend under this label. It is a terrifyingly tasty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel is filled rich black fruit, vanilla and sweet spice flavors.
