Check out these five “spooky” wines for your Halloween celebrations.
-Vampire Vineyards: Based in Paso Robles, the winery makes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot Rosé, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and White Zinfandel . Most wines can be found for under $20.
-Twisted Oak’s 2007 Calaveras County River of Skulls: This wine is a blend of 88% Monastrell and 12% Syrah, both grown in Dalton Vineyards. Wine Enthusiast awarded this wine 90 points, and it retails for around $35.
-Bogle Winery’s Phantom: With grapes sourced from Clarksburg, Lodi and Amador, Phantom is a blend of 49% Petite Sirah, 49% Zinfandel and 2% Mouvèdre. Find this wine for about $20.
-Casillero del Diablo: The “Cellar of the Devil” originates from Chile and has gained international recognition. The winery produces a complete line of red and white wines and can be found at many local wine stores or grocery stores.
-Spellbound Wines: The grandson of Robert Mondavi, Rob Mondavi is putting his talents to work as the winemaker at Spellbound Wines. The winery makes Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Old Vine Zin, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling. Bottles range from $10-$35.
Winery: Indaba
Wine: Shiraz 2008
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Purchased: The Wine Merchant
Price: $7.99
I recently read about a few wine stores in St. Louis that I wanted to visit the next time we were in town. As it happened, we drove through St. Louis on our way back from the Texas football game last weekend so I was able to check out one of the stores. We stopped at The Wine Merchant for a little browsing and shopping. As far as selections, they featured wines from all the major regions, but nowhere too unusual. I was a little disappointed with the selection of price points for French wines. They carried mainly pricier bottles (around the $100 mark or more). In particular, I was looking for reasonably priced wines from Burgundy and found none. However, other regions like Spain and Chile featured a wider selection of prices, from $10 to over $100. Of course, we were able to find a few that “we couldn’t live without!”
Over the July 4th weekend, Jonathan and I visited southwest Michigan, touring several of the local wineries. One of our stops was Warner Vineyards in Paw Paw, Michigan. Neither of us were very impressed with the wines we tasted, but I was eager to sample the ice wine. The Lake Michigan Shore AVA seemed like an ideal location for making an ice wine so I wanted to give it a shot. The Vidal Blanc ice wine was by far the best wine poured at the winery, and best ice wine we tasted during our trip.
My friend Laura gave me this blog idea several months ago, and I’ve really just procrastinated on getting it done. I like to say that I needed more time for “research.” The arrival of the cool, fall weather has totally motivated me and I’ve been busy conducting “research”
So we always think about the perfect wine pairings for food, but what about first dates, evenings by the fire or catching the big game? Here are some of my suggestions for choosing the perfect bottle of wine.
To wrap things up, Cellar Ardévol is a blend of 40% Garnacha, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah and 10% Merlot. The wine fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks before aging for 16 months in French oak barrels. Wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points.
I liked this wine. I thought it had a very inviting, full nose. The palate was similar, but it’s definitely a young wine and could age for a couple of years. Priorat wines are a higher classification in Spain so if you’re looking for a less expensive alternative try a wine from Montsant.
Cellar Ardévol was founded by Alber and Roser in 1995 near the town of Porrera in Priorat. Anjoli, the vineyard name where the grapes were grown, is the name of the adopted daughter of Rose Galceran, one of the partners in Cellar Ardévol.
Check out these five “spooky” wines for your Halloween celebrations.
Winery: Indaba
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