For far too long, Halloween has taken a bit of a backseat to all the other big autumn holidays. No more. It is high time for Halloween to step out on its own, starting with Halloween-themed wines and wine cocktails!
Whether you are hosting a masquerade at your house or heading out to someone else’s place for a trick-or-treat party, be ready for anything with some good wine on hand. Remember that wine makes the perfect gift for your adult friends who arrange fun dress-up celebrations at the end of each October.
The Best Wine for Halloween Parties
If you are planning on hosting a Halloween party and providing adult-friendly beverages this year, you have options when it comes to conjuring the spirit of October 31st. Halloween is the best time to combine old favorites with novel delights. Halloween wines to look for include anything with the words “skeleton,” “vampire,” “werewolf,” “ghost” or “blood” on the label of the bottle — and there are quite a few!
Other good wines for a Halloween party include:
- Syrah and shiraz: With nose-lifting aromas of oak, spice and red berry fruits, syrah wine is perfect for enjoying or serving with your favorite tapas.
- Cabernet sauvignon: The many varieties of this Halloween wine are known for their full-bodied, fruit-forward taste, long-lasting finish and soft velvety tannins.
- Red blend wine: Red blend is a label appellation for red wines made up of more than one grape variety in the final cuvée. These wines vary in ageability, structure, flavor, color and aroma, and are sure to appeal to all of your Halloween guests. Dark and sultry, red blends often contain deep berry flavors mingling with chocolate and coffee notes and are the perfect devilish addition to your Halloween table.
- Malbec: Known for its smoky finish and plump, dark fruit flavors, malbec wine offers a great alternative to syrah and cabernet sauvignon.
Halloween Wine Bottles
If themes get you excited, why not choose your Halloween wines based on the colors and flavors of the season? Orange is a strong motif throughout Halloween decor, so consider serving a Blood Orange Rose. Roses are light and crisp, which makes them easy to drink. You can even add this orange-infused variety to a homemade sangria for an extra citrusy kick.
Along with orange, black is another classic color that pairs with Halloween. Knowing this, why not have all wines with black labels on your Halloween party table? A good type of wine to choose is Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition to looking the part, many of these wines are spicy and oaky, making them excellent drinks for wine enthusiasts who want to enjoy a complex adult beverage.
For a fitting name, Ghost Pines Chardonnay is hard to beat. Surprisingly, this is a Chardonnay that is not terribly dry, owing to its spicy, fruity crispness. Plus, it is as playful as it comes owing to its name. Of course, Argentinian Skeleton Malbec may be close on its heels. Never be afraid to purchase a few wines new to you for a chance to raise the spirits of your Halloween guests!
Halloween Wine Cocktail Recipes
In addition to pouring generous glasses of Halloween wines, you may want to experiment with some wine cocktails to add a little creativity to the festivities. An easy mixture is to lighten any red wine by half with lemon-lime soda and a dash of fresh cut-up fruits such as oranges and strawberries. The result is light and lovely, a cocktail that boasts flavor without being overpowering.
Another drink to test out has pinkish tones. All you need is 1.5 ounces of any Pinot Noir and 1.5 ounces of silver tequila to start. Pour the liquids over ice and add half an ounce each of agave nectar and juice from a fresh lime. Finish the drink with two ounces of your favorite citrusy, sugar-free soda water. These pink drinks can be easily made in cocktail shakers and distributed to your masked visitors.
Make Halloween a Time for Wine
Halloween deserves a second look this year, so pick out some wine for your Halloween party. You do not have to be scared at the idea of trying something new. In fact, Halloween is one of the best times of the year to mix and match old favorites with unheard of delights. Order bottles or cases of Halloween wine from Marketview Liquor online.
