Holiday Gift Guide: WINES for a Halloween Addict

The holidays are a festive time for food, friends and libations.
Why just settle for a grocery-store-bought "red" when you can inject a little scary into your wine selection.  To guests who don't care, it's still wine in a glass.  To yourself and other Halloween Addicts, it's injecting a little scary into your ho-ho-ho.

So here are ten scary reds to give as gifts or to hide amongst the red and green on your table.  (Be sure to check my earlier post HERE to get yourself edu-ma-cated on some other tricks to make your wine taste better.)

1)   ELVIRA'S MACABRENET 

The Mistress of the Dark is now the Maven of the Macabre.
Elvira has just released her first wine: a cabernet sauvignon entitled "Macabrenet."
See what she did there?  Wordplay!
The batch is limited to 500 cases so pick up a bottle or more before it vanishes into that good night.

For an extra A Christmas Story-ish fun, pay attention to the cork in your bottle.  Black corks are standard but unique RED corks can be sent in to the Elvira Fan Club for "... something special in return."
I just hope it's not a message saying "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine." 
Click HERE to order yours. 

2)  CRYSTAL LAKE WINES - SURVIVOR SYRAH

Adrienne King who played Alice Hardy, the only survivor from the original classic Friday the 13th film, is in league with Valley View Winery to bring you:  Survivor Syrah.

Not only is the title of the Syrah a wink to her well-known horror pedigree bu the bottles themselves feature paintings by Adrienne herself depicting that magic tranquil moment her character had before the final scare of the film.

There's more than just a Syrah, CLW puts out a Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon too but the Syrah is the only one with a clever title.  

A must have for any Jason Voorhees (yes, I know he didn't show up 'til Part 2) and Friday the 13th fan.
Order your bottle HERE from CrystalLakeWines.com.  

3)  TWISTED OAK - RIVER OF SKULLS

River of Skulls is what's called a "blend."  In this case it's a blend of Syrah and Mourvedre.

According to the description it's peppery with blackberry and tobacco notes.  Translation:  it's a spicier wine for those who like a lot of flavor in their reds.

The label features a blood-red, er... "holiday"-red skull.
Pick it up from the Twisted Oak Winery website HERE.   

4)  POIZIN RESERVE ZINFANDEL

Speaking of red skulls on bottles, I can't NOT mention Poizin Zinfandel.
This is the Reserve Zin (the regular is sold out on the site) which features the same Zin with the melted wax coating on the cork and sold in an actual WOODEN COFFIN.

You can't really go wrong with a Zinfandel and the accoutrements really make this gift worthy.
Be sure to check out their new 'Antidote' Pinot Gris for a white to pair alongside your Poizin. 
Both are available through Poizin.com HERE.

5)  RED HEAD STUDIOS RETURN OF THE LIVING RED

This zombie-themed blend comes from New Zealand so they must be friends with Peter Jackson. 
You'll have to get it in the states from websites like this, and it looks like it'll go for around $60 per bottle.

6)   GRAVEYARD VINEYARDS

A bunch of clever titles to choose from from this Paso Robles vineyard.


With wines like "Tombstone Red," "Dark Phantom" and "Mortal Zin," these guys know how to name a wine.  And their several silver medals demonstrate that they know how to MAKE a wine too.
Be sure to check out their "Graveyard Goods and Gadgets" part of the site where you can buy black skull and tombstone wine stoppers, and a "Drink in Peace" coffin gift box.

Go HERE to get the goods.

7)  BOGLE PETITE SYRAH

This is an old-standby for me and the good news is that it's pretty easily found in liquor stores, packys and groceries.

"Bogle" in Scottish means "Phantom." 
If you drop this little trivia nugget of info to your partygoers as you fill their glasses, you'll look like you know what you're talking about.  And after reading this... you DO know what you're talking about.

8)   CASTLE ROCK PINOT NOIR

Another stand-by for me.
It's easy to find and it's a solid Pinot Noir... and at a very palatable price point of under $20.


Though the wine has nothing to do with this next factoid:  any Stephen King fan worth his/her weight in horror knowledge can tell you that Castle Rock is the fictional New England town where King has set many a story including such gems as Cujo, The Dead Zone and Needful Things... it's still delicious.

 9)  HALLOWINE

Mulled wine is a holiday staple, so what if there's a jack o' lantern apple on the bottle.

Sweet apple wine seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Scented candles be damned.
Heat and serve. 

Buy it from the vintner HERE.

10)  ANYTHING YOU WANT

This is a bit of a cheat, but why not put your creative talents to the test and design your own label to slap on a bottle of your favorite vino?
A Snowman with a jack o' lantern head called "Jack Frost."  Slap it on a bottle of white.
A Rudolph pic with a glowing orange jack o' lantern nose.  Called "Rudolph's Scary New Year."
The Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion singing carols.  The label's called "Scarol Syrah."  
You get the idea.
I'm just spitballin' here. 
So get creatin', orderin', givin', drinkin' and enjoyin'.