If you’re over 21 in Wine Country, the monumental question this week might be what wines to serve at the big Halloween party.
Luckily there are plenty of clever bottlings to consider for wine-lovers who crave scary. The most dramatic has to be POIZIN, produced by Healdsburg’s Armida Winery, because it’s packaged in a coffin. The 2011 Reserve is $80.
“We knew that Halloween is one of the top wine consuming occasions of the year,” said Steve Cousins, co-vintner of Armida. “It soon became clear that the zin, with its first vintage in 1998, sells throughout the year.”
Cousin’s brother Bruce, the other co-vintner, was brainstorming with people at the winery about blends when POIZIN emerged as a possibility.
“At that time we were tossing a lot of ideas around, especially since we were keen on producing a fun, proprietary wine,” he said. “So they were tasting blends and brainstorming. At some point (later than sooner), someone said, ‘This is the wine to die for,’ and after a few more sips (OK, maybe more than a few more), they came up with POIZIN.”
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Alexander Valley Vineyards in Healdsburg also produces zinfandels with Halloween appeal. They include Temptation, 2011 California Zinfandel ($12); Sin Zin, 2012 Alexander Valley Zinfandel ($20); and Redemption, 2012 Dry Creek Valley ($22).
Sin Zin, the leader of the pack, also has an interesting back story.
Back in 1979, vintner Hank Wetzel was playing poker with friends in a small ranch house right next to the Alexander Valley winery. Hank’s sister, Katie Wetzel Murphy, came in with a barrel sample of the latest zinfandel and the poker players deemed the alcohol level a bit high. Katie didn’t miss a beat and said that the racy alcohol level would work if they labeled the zinfandel “Sin Zin.”
Yet another spooky brand is Vampire Vineyards, which has a winery in Napa and a tasting lounge in Beverly Hills. Bottlings include Vampire, 2013 California Pinot Noir ($12); Dracula, Paso Robles Syrah ($28); and Trueblood, Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($75).
When people initially asked company founder Michael Machat who would want to buy a wine named Vampire, he quipped, “I would.”
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