Winey Tasting Notes: Getting Evil on Halloween

ByThe Winey Mom

Halloween is such a fun time of year….the candy, the costumes, the parties, the candy. And thanks to the enterprising minds of some winemakers, there is also the Halloween themed wine. Boo!

Evil Cabernet Sauvignon back label.
It’s really not wrong.

Evil Cabernet Sauvignon labelThis year, as I was looking for such a wine, I came across some pure Evil. There it was, just sitting there in a bottle. How could I not resist? Especially since this evil has a bit of a sense of humor, because it tells you right on the back label: “It’s just wrong.”

So Evil it is for the 2014 Halloween review.

This Evil comes to us in the form of a Cabernet Sauvignon (2013, 15%, Aragon, Spain).  It’s a dark, rusty red color and has a nose of smoke with a cherry overlay. Given its high ABV and that it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, I decided that it was best to let this one breathe for a while.

The Winey Couple as Starbucks, Halloween 2014
Star…………bucks. Get it?

In the meantime, I worked on a Halloween Costume for the Winey Hubby and I.  One of our neighbors has an annual costume party, where the rule is “Come in costume or come naked.” Not being into the whole nudist scene (especially with Cleveland weather what it is at the end of October), this always presents a challenge, since The Winey Hubby hates to dress up in costumes. If he can wear regular clothes as his costume, all is well. One year, I was the red Angry Bird, he walked around with an iPad and played the game. This year, I was having some creative trouble, until the Winey Daughter, at home on fall break, suggested this (see the picture at right):

For those of you going, “Huh?” right now, let me help you. I have a big STAR on, and the Winey Hubs has bunch of dollar bills pinned to his shirt. Some people call a dollar bill a buck. There is more than one buck, hence, they are BUCKS. Yes, we are Starbucks. This costume only works when you stand next to each other all night and are standing in the right order (otherwise you’ll be called 4 Star).

On to the wine though, because by now it’s had quite enough time to breathe. The first flavor was smooth red berries, surrounded by oak. This moved on to some mocha and finished with a taste of cafe mocha. While I’d say the tannins were full and smooth, there definitely was some heat to this wine on the finish. All in all, I’d have to say that this is a good evil and that there is nothing wrong with it at all, despite what the back label says. 
Buy this wine if you like a big, strong red with lots of equally strong tannins.  It runs in the neighborhood of $12 and will pair nicely with barbecued foods, but go easy if you are going to pair it with handing out candy. At 15% ABV, this one could potentially pack an evil punch, especially if you go by the “one for you, one sip for me” rule of candy distribution. 
Cheers.