Best Wines for Your Halloween Party
Collaborative Post
The Halloween Party season has grown from the trick-and-treat children’s party to a more adult-orientated celebration. So now it’s more of a wine pairing with some suitably Halloween-themed dishes that have become so popular.
Let’s look at some great wines to turn your party into a celebration of food and wine.
How about starting with a delicious jet-black pasta starter? We need a wine to balance the slightly salty taste of the pasta. May I suggest a lively rosé from Greece for this dish?
Sarris Rose 2021
The wine is closely related to the sea as the vines grow in small pockets just above the famous Minies Beach. The grapes used to make the lively rosé are Mavrodaphne, traditionally used for sweeter wines. After going through spontaneous fermentation, the wine is left in stainless steel tanks for six months.
This produces a lively and fruit-filled yet dry taste sensation with lively acidity. The relatively low alcohol content makes it perfect for sipping along with jet-black pasta.
What about some dark-blood red beetroot soup as the next course to continue our dark and spooky trend? To match the earthy tones, we need a Pinot Noir. Have a look at this beauty from South Africa.
Meerlust Pinot Noir 2019
This wine starts out only a mile or two from the cold waters of False Bay. The sea air’s cooling effect moderates summer’s heat and produces a wine of delicate gentleness.
It has a clean taste with gentle tannins and subtle red cherry fruits ideal for supporting the earthy tones of the blood-red beetroot soup.
Now it’s time to let your creative juices flow and build a meaty skeleton platter. We need a couple of spare ribs, some spicy sausage, and prosciutto, but the list is up to you. We can pair your work of art with full-bodied and suitably robust red wines.
Let’s put up a trio of reds. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and then, for a little individuality, some Zinfandel.
Let’s start with a Cabernet Sauvignon from California to introduce the more robust reds.
Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
This wine has a family history dating back well over hundred and fifty years. The present sixth generation of Bogles is committed to achieving Green Status for their grapes.
The bouquet is an enticing blend of dark plums and black cherries. The smooth tannins support a delicious combination of dark chocolate and coffee, and the twelve months in French oak induce an added dimension of toast and sweet spice.
Moving down south, the Malbec is from Argentina.
Zuccardi Jose Zuccardi Malbec 2016
One of the most impressive wines from Mendoza. The grapes grow in the deep alluvial soils at an altitude of around twelve hundred feet above sea level. The warm and sunny days are matched by the cold of the night, which imparts a combination of fresh fruit intensity and ripe well, rounded tannins.
To minimize the oak influence, the wine is stored in large concrete tanks for two years and then in five hundred liter casks for twelve months—a perfect companion to rich meat dishes.
For your guests that want to support organic wine production, here is the somewhat oddly spelled Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2016.
Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2016
This is the handiwork of famous winemaker Miljenko Grgich. The Zinfandel originates from the warmest vineyards in Calistoga. Indigenous yeast is used in the fermentation process, and a little Petit Sirah is added to make the wine a touch more complex.
The net result is a wonderfully balanced Zinfandel rich in fruit with a balanced tannin structure and satisfying aftertaste.
No Halloween Party can end without sweets, so what about some delicious autumn-colored meringue cupcakes paired with a little Italian Moscato?
La Spinnetta Bricco Quaglia Moscato 2021
I am always so impressed with estates that strive to produce their wine organically. Giuseppe Rivetti and his son have done just that—making superb wine without using herbicides or pesticides.
Since the late seventies, the Rivetti family has produced top-quality wines in the Moscatod’Asti appellation.
The grapes are only harvested when they have achieved peak ripeness, after which they are fermented at low temperatures for four weeks before being bottled under pressure.
Because the wine is chilled before bottling, the fermentation process is halted. The net result is a wine that is low in alcohol and contains a beautiful sweetness.
I hope this selection of wines will help you have a fantastic Halloween party filled with subtle and complementary flavors of great food and lovely wines.
Image https://unsplash.com/photos/fAi0qhc1nyE
