Wine Review: Halloween planning brings wine to mind

Is it too early to be planning for Halloween? I don't think so. If you are considering an adult Halloween party, I have some suggestions on the theme and the refreshments for the party.

One suggestion for the theme could be showing the original 1931 “Frankenstein” or the equally scary 1931 “Dracula” classic horror movies to your guests. However, it is imperative that you show them with the lights out and in almost total darkness as the movies were originally shown in a darkened theater. These movies are not overly long and there are no embarrassing scenes to worry about that may offend some of your guests. If the reader does not have a TV movie service, these classic horror films can be obtained on DVD or free of charge from your local library.

Whatever your choice of horror movies, a Dona Angeles 2019 Single Vineyard Malbec, priced at $50, will surely impress your guests. A full-bodied, full-flavored malbec wine, this beverage is so dark it gives a new definition to the word black while still gently offering all of the flavor and aromas that have made malbec wines so popular.

What could be scarier than reading the works of the master of horror, Edgar Allen Poe? I’d suggest reading to your guests Poe’s spooky tale “The Cask of Amontillado.” This is a short story whose plot revolves around a cask wine.

You can serve your guests the Lustau 12 Year Old Vina AB Amontillado Sherry, priced around $17. Since the wine is no longer stored in casks, a bottle should serve well, unless you may have a spare cask lying around the house. If you make this choice, may I suggest that the reader of this short story be a person with an expressive voice: It’s scarier that way.

After a short respite, and several journeys to the front door to give the “trick or treat” urchins some candy to prevent your trash can from being turned over, the next reading could be Poe’s most famous dark poem “The Raven.” The poem could be read while serving your guests a pinot noir, and a good choice of wine would be a Hyland Estates Oregon 2022 Pinot Noir. At $55, this wine displays a deep garnet color and a pronounced flavor and aroma of black cherry and blackberry, with a hint of vanilla. It should meld beautifully with the story.

Dessert should bring an end to all of the "doom and gloom” movies and/or storytelling and should be something bright, peaceful, sparkling and not too alcoholic. My suggestion is to use a prosecco such as Valdo Marca Oro Brut Prosecco, priced at $18. It is a well-made, full-flavored wine that offers all of the happiness that a prosecco is famous for and will put a happy and memorable end to a scary night.

Please be attentive: Sipping small offerings of wine is fine but take care that nobody has overdone it if they are driving home after your party. As for me, after handing out about $20 worth of candy to eager young people that appeared at my front door threatening me with mayhem if I didn't give them a “treat,” I will turn out my front porch lights and retire to bed, falling asleep with the happy memories of the Halloweens of my youth in an apartment house in Brooklyn. Going door to door in the apartment house, and on whom if I did “play a trick,” such as ringing the doorbell and running away, they would inform my parents and I would be admonished to never do that again, to which I agreed, with my fingers crossed.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.