With Halloween just around the corner, we’ve been inspired to explore wines around the shop that invoke shock, awe, and horror. Of course I just mean creepy disturbing labels and not shockingly bad wine. Orin Swift wines always deliver in this regard.Their latest endeavor is an excellent California white blend. The 2012 Blindfold is a blend of 60% Rhone varietals (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc), 5% Aromatic varietals (Semillon and Riesling), and base of 35% Chardonnay all picked from a mixture of vineyards around Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and Santa Ynez. There is a subtle hint of mandarin orange and Meyer lemon zest aroma, and as you drink it you can taste Anjou pear, roasted marshmallows, spiced apple tart with a hint of minerality. This wine screams fall flavors. Get in the spirit, and pop the cork on this wine with a horror film like “The Strangers” starring Liv Tyler. What’s better than drinking wine and watching something that will make you terrified of everyday things like being home and answering the door? Isn’t that what Halloween is all about? -Jessica
The counterpart to Orin Swift’s Blindfold, the Prisoner has been stealing the hearts of oenophiles for years now. My man Dave Phinney’s original concoction, this Zinfandel-Cab blend is thick and jammy, with oozing strawberry and dark chocolate espresso flavors. It’s texture is like the thick velvet of Dracula’s coffin, but the shocking spike of tannin will get you just when you thought it was safe. The grapes come from only the finest vineyards in Napa, so even though this monster runs about $40, it’s well worth it. It’s tough for me to only pick one horror movie to watch with this hallowed bottle, but I think I’ll go with the creepiest of the Amityvilles, “Amityville 2: The Posession,” and a few slices of Carmody, which is basically popcorn butter in cheese form. Happy haunting. Muahahahaha. -Candace