Halloween is the perfect excuse to have a little fun with your wine selection.There are plenty of bottles out there with skulls, ghosts, monsters and labels that look like they were designed specifically to sit next to your Halloween decorations. But a great label only gets you so far. We still want what is inside the bottle to be something we're excited to drink.Luckily, there are some great wines that manage to do both.19 Crimes Universal MonstersIt doesn't get much more Halloween than Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Mummy.19 Crimes has a limited-edition Universal Monsters collection featuring glow-in-the-dark labels, and the bottles are definitely made to be displayed at a Halloween party. But there is still plenty happening inside the bottle.The Frankenstein Cabernet Sauvignon has dark cherry and chocolate notes, while The Wolf Man and Bride of Frankenstein Red Blends bring blackberry, chocolate and spice. Even The Mummy gets involved with a Hard Chardonnay featuring peach, vanilla and spice.These are fun bottles to put on the table when you're entertaining because the packaging becomes part of the Halloween decor.Bogle PhantomThis one feels made for October.Bogle's Phantom isn't simply a Halloween marketing creation. The wine was inspired by stories of a mysterious apparition reportedly seen around the Bogle winery. The winery released its first Phantom red blend in 1999 as a nod to both those stories and an old Scottish ghost legend connected to the Bogle family.The California red blend is dark, rich and substantial, making it a great choice for a cool October evening. And that haunting bottle certainly doesn't hurt.Armida PoiZinWith a name like PoiZin, this one almost has to make the Halloween list.Armida Winery's Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel has become known for its skull-and-crossbones imagery and wonderfully macabre presentation. Some versions have even been offered with dripping red wax and coffin-style packaging.It's playful and dramatic without the wine itself feeling like an afterthought. For Zinfandel lovers looking for something fun to bring to a Halloween dinner or party, it's an easy conversation starter.The Velvet Devil MerlotSometimes you don't need a complicated Halloween label. A bottle called The Velvet Devil does the job just fine.Charles Smith's Washington Merlot has long appeared on lists of Halloween-friendly wines because of its striking black-and-white branding and devilish name.It's a fun choice for someone who wants a bottle that fits the Halloween theme without looking overly novelty-driven.Sinister HandIf you're hosting friends who love a good story with their wine, Owen Roe's Sinister Hand is especially fun.The ominous label and name come with a wonderfully gruesome legend involving two Irish families, a rowing race and a severed hand thrown onto shore to win a claim to land. The wine itself is a Rhône-inspired blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault.It's exactly what we love about Halloween wines: the bottle looks great on the table, there's a story to tell when you pour it, and the wine inside is still the reason you're opening it.Choosing Wine for Your Halloween PartyYou don't have to sacrifice good wine for a great Halloween bottle.Look for producers who have embraced darker names, interesting artwork or limited-edition seasonal packaging while still making wines you would happily drink any other month of the year.And have fun with it. Put a few spooky bottles on the table, pair them with your Halloween dinner, serve them alongside a scary movie marathon or bring one instead of the usual bottle when you're headed to a Halloween party.Just remember that once Halloween is over, those bottles still need somewhere to go.At Del Rey Wine Center, our Los Angeles wine storage facility keeps your collection at a consistent 55°F and 65% humidity in a dark, UV-protected environment.Because whether the label features a ghost, a monster, a devil or something considerably less frightening, what's inside the bottle is still what matters most.
