Angie's Attic – Halloween Specials

peanuts halloween

Halloween Wines You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

As published in The Naperville Sun, The Beacon News, The Courier News and The Herald News – October 22, 2010

Halloween is fun. Children are excited about trick or treating for candy, parents are planning creative costumes for their children and some adults are planning Halloween parties for friends and family. The adult Halloween parties have been growing in popularity for years. It’s a fun way to step outside your everyday persona and take on a new character for one evening.

Party planning is in full gear this time of year, with elaborate inside and outside home decorations on display and creative menus offered to give their guests a scary good time. And guests are always looking for a memorable hostess gift. 

So, how does wine fit into this picture? 

Halloween Wines

We are all on the hunt for unique ways to entertain our family and friends. Instead of standard party fare, why not offer wines that are fun, in-keeping with Halloween’s theme and offer intriguing possibilities for your guests? In researching this subject, I found that a number of creative and fun Halloween wines are available. As always, I like to focus on wines that offer good value. While these Halloween wines are not complex, they are fun, festive and affordable. Here are some that are locally available:

Vampire Wines

The company’s website offers a whimsical description of a winery with Transylvanian roots that produces wines to “sip the blood of the vine.” Binny’s Naperville stocks the Vampire series of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir and will be sampling these wines on Saturday, October 23 from 1 – 4 pm. Fans of Twilight have already sunk their teeth into these wines.

Owen Roe Wines

The Sinister Hand wine by Owen Roe, featuring a creepy hand dripping blood on the label, is a Rhone style red wine from Washington. These wines cost a little more, but are consistently good.

Bull’s Blood Wine

The name Egri Bikaver translates to Bull’s Blood, and is a full-bodied red wine with black pepper and berry flavors. This is a popular selling wine from Hungary that is a blend of three or more varietals. Offering a guest a glass of Bull’s Blood will add to your party’s festivities.

Toad Hollow Vineyards

While Toad Hollow’s Eye of Toad was hard to find, their Chardonnay is readily available. The style of this white wine is unoaked, offering a crisper Chardonnay. Your guests will jump at the chance to have a glass, as this wine will pair well with many party dishes.

Prairie Pumpkin Wine

This seasonal wine, available through Thanksgiving, tastes like a well-spiced pumpkin pie with a kick. The label shares that Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state and we should have a glass to toast our heritage. Pumpkin Wine could be a good choice with traditional Halloween treats like popcorn balls.

Halloween Food and Wine Pairings

When we think of Halloween fare, candy immediately comes to mind. For the kids, hot chocolate, apple cider or pumpkin juice are the beverages of choice. For adults, the following generalities may apply for a candy and wine pairing:

 - Sparkling Wine pairs well with sweets, making this a good choice with sugary treats like candy corn.

- Red Wine and Ruby Port Wine pairs well with chocolate, so this works with candy bars and with caramel apples.

- Both Tawny Port Wine and Sherry Wine have nutty and caramel flavors, so either will work with Reece’s Pieces or peanut butter cups.

Of course, more adult foods like cheese, bread, crackers and apples are a perfect accompaniment to most wines. The trick is to create a food display with a Halloween touch, such as cobwebs, fake spiders and mice nibbling on the cheese, to create a look that will have your guests carefully reaching for food. So, treat your guests to a glass of Vampire Cab or Bull’s Blood, to create an evening they are sure to remember.

Vin Santo Italian dessert wine has a nutty flavor and will pair well with Reece’s Pieces or

Bill’s Wine Picks

Toad Hollow Chardonnay

Bull’s Blood

Vampire Wines Cabernet & Merlot

Prairie State Pumpkin Wine

7 Deadly Zins

Bill Garlough is the Founder and Owner of My Chef Catering in Naperville, the recipient of the U.S. Chamber’s 2007 Small Business of the Year. Bill is a Level 1 Master Sommelier and pairs food and wine for  My Chef’s customers. www.mychef.com.

About the Author

• My Chef Catering May 1988 – Present Founder/President Naperville, IL With my wife, founded My Chef Catering in Naperville in 1989. Initially a gourmet deli and catering business, the business evolved into one of the largest full-service catering companies in the western suburbs.

  We are very community minded and donate up to 2% of annual sales to charity. Karen and I Chair several of the larger fundraisers in the area, to help people in need.

  We have been very blessed to receive community recognition for our involvement, including the Naperville’s and Aurora’s Overall SBYA and the 2007 U.S. Chamber’s Small Business of the Year award.

• I have been a wine enthusiast for over 25 years and passed the Level 1 Master Sommelier course in 2004.  I pair food and wine for My Chef Catering’s customers.
• I have been a very active member of The Rotary Club of Naperville for the past 18 years. My Chef Catering provided the food for Naperville’s annual Oktoberfest and we currently Chair Soup’s On!, a fundraiser to benefit 3 local food pantries and shelters. I was the Rotary club President in 2008-2009.

  I have just become a member of the Board of Directors for Lovaes & Fishes in Naperville. This will allow me to share my food knowledge and contacts with this essential organization.

           Prior to this, I was a Brand Manager for several Fortune 100 food companies,    including Borden Foods and Jacobs Suchard Swiss chocolate and coffee company.

College

• Boston University Arts and Sciences Philosophy Business

High School

• Boardman High School ’70
• Pearl River High School ’70

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Hallmark Peanuts Halloween Snoopy Set of 5 Figures $25.99

Peanuts Woodstock Adult Halloween Costume $85.45

game part Monopoly: Peanuts Collector’s Edition 2010 property trading cards $4.24

PEANUTS LUCY & GANG HAPPY HALLOWEEN PIN $7.50

Peanuts Halloween Lunchbox $18.89 Peanuts Snoopy Etc – It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Halloween Metal Lunch Box w/ Thermos. This quality lunchbox looks just like the great vintage lunchboxes of the 50′s and 60′s, featuring high quality metal design with handle as well as matching thermos. Makes a great gift for any Peanuts fan….

Peanuts – Halloween

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