Oct. 29--We don't pay much attention to holiday-themed wines, because they have limited appeal (how much Santa Syrah can one person buy?) and because they're often terrible.
But Saturday is Halloween, which means Halloween parties, and hosts need wine to serve and guests need wine to drink.
We picked a half-dozen wines that, while not Halloween-specific per se (they're mostly available year-round), had spooky and/or mysterious labels that would make them seem at home at any Halloween gathering. We gathered a coven of six wine tasters, and our evaluations of the bottle labels and contents follow.
(Fine print: These wines are available throughout the Chicago area; prices are approximate.)
2012 Bogle Phantom: The gnarled-branches label gives this wine a spooky feel, underscored by the "hauntingly seductive" phrase (in tiny type) at the label's bottom. A blend of petite syrah, zinfandel, cabernet and mourvedre, the wine is very berry-forward, with a spicy finish. Three of the six tasters would buy it. $16
2012 Seven Deadly Zins: Tasters were split as to whether the Z logo was punny and fun, or too reminiscent of Zorro. One taster liked the wine's barnyard notes, and another said, "This makes me rethink what I said about not liking zin." Five of the six tasters would buy this. $12
2013 Spellbound Petite Sirah: Tasters loved the haunting, full-moon label (one suggested making it a blood moon for the season) and the deep-purple of the wine. Half the tasters felt the wine fell flat, tastewise; the other half would happily buy. $12.50
2014 Poizin Zinfandel: You can't beat Poizin's skull-and-crossbones label, and its simple, fruit-forward flavor should go with all sorts of party food. "This would look cool on the bar, next to your frozen daiquiri machine," said one. Some tasters thought the Dry Creek Valley wine was too one-note to be consistently interesting, but, at less than $12, two-thirds of the tasters would buy it. $11.50
2013 Pundit Syrah: The priciest wine in our tasting was also the most popular, garnering four of six first-place votes (who says journalists don't appreciate the finer things in life?) and praise for its "gorgeous" label, which features an owl with a pen-nib beak. The plethora of dark fruit and elegant finish made our tasters, four of whom would pay $19 for this Washington state wine, very happy. $19
Vampire Cabernet Sauvignon: Back in the '90s, Vampire wines actually were made in Transylvania, but the owners moved the operation to California (now in the Napa Valley) eight years ago. The blood-dripping label might scream, "Don't take me seriously," but the wine itself offers heady fruit aromas and was dubbed very good for its price (although only two wanted to buy it). "Perfect for a combo bachelorette/Halloween party," said one taster, who clearly receives better party invitations than most of us. $9.50
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
