Halloween Vine Review

South Coast Winery...

produces a broad portfolio of premium wines that are 100% grown and produced with care under his tutelage in Southern California’s up and coming Temecula Valley Wine Country. Over the course of the first six years of its production, the winery has received over 1,000 awards and medals from both regional and international wine competitions.

They feature two wines specifically tailored to Day of the Dead:

Dia De Los Merlot: Many believe that food and drink can facilitate conversation between the living and the dead. What a beautiful sentiment considering that everything we eat and drink today was once manifested through our ancestors which is why we have it and yet, we either harvested it or bought it. Such is the sentiment of this wine. Blended from a number of lots, this wine was blended to capture the frutiness that Merlot offers.

Dia De Los Blancos: This wine combines two saintly flavors to two grapes-- Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat Blanc. Sweet, Crisp... it makes an excellant table wine and suitable to drink in honor of all saints, both known and unknown.

Zombie Cellars, Healdsburg, CA

Zombie Zin 2007:
Blood red, almost black color. Horridly rich in concentrated fruit with a finish that never dies. Best to drink 2010 or older. Watch out, this wine 14.2% alcohol and it can hit you hard.Underneath the horrifically acidic taste, is a flavor of plum, and black currant that needs to be realized. The finish on this wine is reprehensibly bad, however, the aftertaste is actually quite pleasant. Which tells me that this wine has some growing to do in a cellar. Best to drink with the flesh of an animal that has a strong taste!!

Vampire Vineyards, Napa, CA


Vampire Vineyards are actually owned by a circle of vampires, and the company’s founder, an entertainment attorney from New York, is actually just a front. (Whether he and his convertible were commandeered by a Vampire is still a subject for debate.) We do know however that after satiating themselves for years with their Transylvanian blood of the vine, the powers that be decided to spice things up and migrate westward like so many vampires before them.

Using meticulous advance planning, these vampires planted their rootstock at the dawn of the 21st century in the mountainous region of Paso Robles, California, where the ocean fog frequently rolls in off the coast providing the perfect cover to their hidden vineyards.

Having waited a full seven years, the vampires’ rootstock now has yielded wonderful tight small clusters of grapes that have been skillfully blended by vampire winemakers to produce phenomenal wines -- smooth and well rounded, with forward fresh fruit – that have been aged in both French and American Oak Barrels. Sip the Blood of the Vine and enjoy!

Vampire Pinor Noir: Made from grapes picked before sunrise under the Master’s supervision, this wine highlights the incredible nuances and flavors obtainable from pinot noir grapes grown in the Santa Maria Valley. This cuvee was placed in French Oak barrels for 18 months prior to bottling, leading to a rich and concentrated wine with raspberry, dark cherry and pomegranate flavors.

"God made cabernet sauvignon, whereas the devil made pinot noir." Andres Tchelistcheff (1901-1994)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Spellbound Wineries, Napa, CA


In 2003 Rob and Lydia Mondavi, partnered with friend Patti Romano, to follow their passion and start producing wine. The focus was to produce wines from unique, maturing vineyards in California harvesting their favorite grape varietal, Zinfandel. The venture was appropriately named Medusa after the gnarly old vines. The partnership quickly grew and in 2007 another friend, Geoff Whitman, joined the group as Managing Partner, allowing the time for Rob to focus on the winemaking for both Medusa and Spellbound Wines.

2009 Chardonnay: features bright, tropical fruit notes with touches of vanilla and creme brulee. Stands up to southwest cousine and asian flavor foods.The nose comes off like a typical big, oaky Chardonnay, but in the mouth you really don't get that much oak. Rich pineapple with a hint of spice and a touch of minerality in the palate. Very layered and really pleasant to drink. Great finish with apple and vanilla, and no wood. An all-around stellar wine.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Witches Brew Pub, Belgium


Witches’ Brew is brought to you courtesy of TI Beverage Group, Ltd., purveyors of legendary wines from Vampire Vineyards and Sasquatch Cellars.

After a long day of working at the vineyards, and tasting numerous wines, we found that one inevitably gets palette fatigue. So we thought, "What better way to wind down a long day than to sip a cold brew?" Of course, we wouldn’t settle for just any ordinary beer. No instead we sought out the best brewmeister we could find and issued a challenge: Brew us a beer so great that it will put a spell on you. We didn’t expect him to take that challenge literally, but that is what he did. He went out and bought a few books on witchcraft and went to work.

We would have preferred to let the original brew master say a few words in this space, but unfortunately he was so ecstatic after tasting his life’s piece de résistance, that he mixed up his words and uttered a mistaken spell that cast him . . . we know not where. Which goes to show, be careful if you mix with witchcraft. Words have meanings. So be warned. Don’t go saying things unless you mean what you say!

Witches Brew Golden Ale: Witches’ Brew is a bottle conditioned blond triple living ale.Its pleasant hoppyness and joyous sweetness is perfect for the summer and early fall. So serve it as cold as possible! It is available in only 750 ML bottles with a natural champagne style cork. It has an alcohol content of a whopping 9.3%. So be warned: It will put a spell on you!