Red Wines for Halloween 2022

Are you drink ready for Hallowine, I mean, Halloween? You may have caught me on talkTV with Mike Graham talking about the first three wines on this list, but there are many more that are worth your attention! Here’s a list of spooktastic sips for various budgets.

The Dip 

The deliciously decorated bottle in red and black, is named after a demon dog that’s famous in Catalan legend. This rustic Spanish red, made from a blend of Tintorera and Tempranillo, screams dark, dried berry fruits and a kick of licorice spice. Try it with smoky or grilled meat. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £8.99 mix six price

The Wanderer Malbec 

This smart, day of the dead themed bottle is no gimmick when you taste the wine inside. A gorgeously classy, smooth Malbec made from grapes harvested from long lost vineyards in San Juan and left to hang longer than usual to boost concentration and ripe fruit flavours. A winter warmer that’s great alone or with rich, meaty dishes. 

Find it at Sainsbury’s on offer for £9 

Simpsons Sparkling Syrah

The first European sparkling Syrah /Shiraz I have come across and hailing from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Southern France and made by English couple, Ruth and Charles Simpson. With more of those classic garrigue-like, French Syrah notes than the purple jam of Australia, this, served slightly chilled, is a brilliant match for Christmas turkey with the trimming, but also works well with duck and lamb cutlets.

Find it at Naked Wines for £14.99

T-bone Malbec 

A seriously delicious, juicy, Argentinian Malbec with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon for structure. Great value and a perfect crowd pleaser. Make the most of the mix six price. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £7.99 mix 6 price

19 Crimes The Uprising, glow in the dark labels

You’ll want to keep the empty, limited edition, glow in the dark bottle of this 19 Crimes ‘Uprising’ red. A blend from Australia, this is another big and fruity red with notes of redcurrant, blackcurrant and baking spice

Find it at Asda on offer for £8

Chronic Cellars, Space Doubt Zinfandel

If you like your wine big, bold and figgy, then this Californian Zinfandel is right up your street. Think strawberry, plum and ripe fig with notes of baking spice. Delicious. 

Find it at Sainsburys for £13 

Velvet Devil Merlot

If anyone orders this Merlot, I will certainly NOT be leaving! (Geeky Sideways quote). This impressive, American Merlot hails form the fine wine region of Washington State and boast velvety tones of red berry, cedar and tobacco leaf. Very smart. 

Find it on Ocado for £17

Palermo, Orin Swift, Napa Valley

The Iconic Orin Swift winery in Napa brings us this hefty, 2018 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘Palermo’. Brooding and powerful, think bold flavours of cassis and mint, cedar, raspberry and plenty of complexity. Get it open to air and have with a big hunk of cheese, pie or steak.

Find it at Majestic for £44.99 Mix 6 price

Words by Helena Nicklin

talkTV: Perfect Halloween Wines

In case you are wondering, it was very hard to not call this article ‘hallowines’ but that would have not worked for SEO, so here we are! Perfect halloween wines for your delectation. There is a theme here of course, with rich and spicy, blood red vino in various guises from around the world and a spooky, sparkling red thrown into the mix. Here are the three wines I’m tasting with Mike Graham on talkTV and a link to more options on thethreedrinkers.com.

The Dip 

The deliciously decorated bottle in red and black, is named after a demon dog that’s famous in Catalan legend. This rustic Spanish red, made from a blend of Tintorera and Tempranillo, screams dark, dried berry fruits and a kick of licorice spice. Try it with smoky or grilled meat. 

Find it at Laithwaites for £8.99 mix six price

The Wanderer Malbec 

This smart, day of the dead themed bottle is no gimmick when you taste the wine inside. A gorgeously classy, smooth Malbec made from grapes harvested from long lost vineyards in San Juan and left to hang longer than usual to boost concentration and ripe fruit flavours. A winter warmer that’s great alone or with rich, meaty dishes. 

Find it at Sainsbury’s on offer for £9 

Simpsons Sparkling Syrah

The first European sparkling Syrah /Shiraz I have come across and hailing from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Southern France and made by English couple, Ruth and Charles Simpson. With more of those classic garrigue-like, French Syrah notes than the purple jam of Australia, this, served slightly chilled, is a brilliant match for Christmas turkey with the trimming, but also works well with duck and lamb cutlets.

Find it at Naked Wines for £14.99

See more spooktastic halloween wine suggestions here!

TalkTV: Autumnal Wines for Organic September

Organic wine has been increasing in popularity these past few years and consumers are becoming more discerning about what they put in their bodies. Majestic Wine announced an increase of 27.4% in organic wine sales this past year, which is a huge jump. For a while, with wine, it’s fair to say that it felt like a bit of a gimmick at first but now, a new generation of winemakers are very much supporting the idea that if you look after the earth, you will get better produce. I’ve tasted the result myself. Wines seem brighter, more vibrant and alive.

What does organic wine mean?

Very simply, organic wine means that it has been made with organically grown grapes. This does not mean that nothing else has been added to it, however. With organic wine, you can still use yeasts and fining agents, some of which are derived from cheese or eggs, so organic does not always equal vegan either. 

As organic September draws to a close, we take a look at some delicious wines worth tasting that won’t break the bank. 

White 

Cono Sur Organic Chardonnay 2021 on offer at Ocado for £8

An easy drinking, ripe Chardonnay with a touch of spice from oak and lovely fresh melon character. A perfect white for the mild Autumn chill. Their Pinot Noir is also worth a try (see below).

Veramonte Reserva Organic Chardonnay 2021 from Ocado for £11.50

A bold Chardonnay with a touch of smoke and savoury minerality with a caramel pudding note on the finish. A great gastronomic wine that would love a bit of roast chicken.

Pink

TalkTV Pick: Organic Etna Rosato, 2021 at Aldi for £8.79

Wines from around the Sicilian volcano, Etna have a unique, texture mouthfeel and character thanks to the volcanic soils there and the local grape varieties used. This one has a great balance of red fruit and chalkiness all with a lovely round body. A fab, Autumnal pink. 

Sumarroca Cava Rosado NV from Talking Wines for £14.99

As Cavas go, this one is exceptionally elegant and bright. Packed full of raspberry fruit and a touch of brioche, it’s a serious wine with a playful streak. 

Red

TalkTV: Tilimuqui Organic Malbec, 2021 on offer at Waitrose for £7.99

Tilimuqui, up in Argentina’s Famatina Valley, make wines that are light on their feet, aromatic and bright thanks to a very dry climate, high altitude and lots of sunshine. This is a blueberry and raspberry scented Malbec that is lighter and more elegant than some. 

Côtes du Rhône, Gabriel Meffre Organic, 2020 on offer at Waitrose for £7.99

When in doubt with red, pick a Côtes du Rhône, especially in the Autumn. This mid way style wine is a classic example of type with its notes of grilled meat, damson, rosemary and thyme. It’s on offer at the moment too, so grab it while you can!

Cono Sur Organic Pinot Noir, 2020 from Sainsbury’s for £9

This is a comforting, juicy Pinot with warm plum and vanilla spice character. Easy drinking and not too heavy, it’s one for a stew or a mid week shepherd's pie.

Veramonte Reserva Organic Carmenere, 2020 from Ocado for £11.50

Carmenere is Chile’s flagship red grape and is loved for its bold blackcurrant and leafy notes. This one is relatively restrained with a flinty kick on the finish. 

Want to know what else we’ve been tasting on talkTV? See here!

WATCH THE THURSDAY CLUB LIVE EVERY THURSDAY ON TALKTV

talkRADIO: Drinks supporting Ukraine

Today on talkRADIO, we raise a toast to some brands that are raising much needed funds to support charities helping those in need in Ukraine. From beer to vodka and even wine, there;’s something for everyone, so buy what you can and call it a party!

Dima’s Vodka (40% ABV)

Dimas Vodka is the Ukrainian Vodka brand that has been on every drinks writer’s radar since it won gold at the IWSC awards at the start of the year and then massively since the conflict began. Owner Dima Deinega has been spearheading various charitable events and creating producing to raise funds to support Ukraine so it’s worth checking out their instagram @vodkadimas so see the latest. The vodka itself hails from a 125-year-old distillery on the outskirts of Kyiv and is made (unusually) with three grains: barley, rye and wheat. This combination along with Ukraine's black supersoils give the vodka  a velvety smoothness,. Making it a good sipping vodka. On the bottle, you’ll see a modern version of the national coat of arms of Ukraine. Try it with a pickle the way they do in Ukraine!

Follow @vodkadimas for various charity events such as Feast for Ukraine this Saturday at Brigade, 139 Tooley Street, London.  There’s also currently a limited edition, painted bottle auction happening. 

Vodka is £35 from dimasvodka.com



Copper Rivet Distillery

Copper Rivet Distillery based in Chatham’s Royal Dockyard iis Kent’s only grain to glass distillery, producing excellent gin, whisky and vodka from scratch in small batches from bespoke stills. To help Ukraine, they are pledging £5 from every Copper Rivet Distillery webstore purchase of 50cl bottle of Dockyard Gin, Masthouse Whisky, Vela Vodka and Son of a Gun to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal and Unicef to support the invaluable work they are doing in and around Ukraine. You can now visit them and take a tour before stopping for lunch in their glorious new restaurant too. 

We’re showing the strawberry gin today, made with real strawberries infused into the spirit for a natural, elegant strawberry sweetness.

Strawberry gin is £32 from Copperrivetdistillery.com

Virgin Wines: The Benevolent Range

Virgin Wines has launched The Benevolent Range, which is a special, charitable wine collection to raise funds for its charity partners, British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal, The Leeway Domestic Abuse Charity and Bright Start. They have teamed up with some outstanding winemakers to create three phenomenal new wines; a South Australian Cabernet Blend, a Chilean Pinot Grigio and a Carménère, also from Chile at accessible price point of £9.99 with £1 from each bottle going to the company’s charity partners. Each of the wines are available at to buy by the case, mixed case with 4 bottles of each. Virgin Wines will donate £12 to charity for every case sold.

See more here at Virgin Wines

The Harbour Beer Co. Stand with IPA (5.5% ABV)

The Cornwall based Harbour Beer Company have created this hazy IPA beer to show solidarity with Ukraine, with profits from sales going to the @disastersemergencycommittee who bring together 15 leading UK aid charities, raising funds quickly and effectively for overseas disasters.

Labels were created and donated by @eclipselabels for free to maximize profits. YOu can buy a pack of 12. X 330ml cans on their website. 

Find them here for £24 from harbourbrewing.com

See what else we have tasted on talkRADIO here!

talkRADIO: Alternative White Wines for Spring

Whoohoo! It’s getting warmer! What better time then to try some alternative white wine grapes? Come on, you’ve had enough Sauvignon and Picpoul. Here are three grapes that deserve your attention and some lovely examples to seek out. Happy Thursday Club!

If you like Albarino, try… Assyrtiko

Assyrtiko is THE key white wine grape from Greece and it makes one of those super refreshing white wines that are slick and saline with zesty lemon and citrus notes but a riper, peachy fruitiness with it. The most famous region for it in Greece is Santorini and this one comes  from winery Artemis Karamolegos and is made with fifty year old vines. 

Find it for £14.95 at The Wine Society

If you like Viognier, try… Roussanne

Roussanne  is a white grape hailing from the Rhône Valley that produces powerful, nutty white wines with intense aromas and flavours of flowers, peach, pear and apricot, with baking spice. Exotic, oily and textural, this grape is the opposite of zesty, zippy Sauvignon. Traditionally used in blends like white Chateauneuf du pape, we’re now seeing more of it as a single grape wine. 

Find it for £6.79 at ALDI

If you like Gavi, try… Verdicchio 

Verdicchio is one of the finest white native grapes of Italy and the most important area for them in the the Marche region around Castelli di Jesi. This is an area with many medieval fortresses on many hilltop villages surrounding the central town of Jesi. This complex and crisp dry white is often called the White Barolo thanks to its fabulous ability to age. When young, it has lovely floral aromas and subtle notes of tropical fruit and a yeasty finish. 

Find it for £6 at Tesco

Want to know what else we’ve tasted on talkRADIO with Mike Graham for the Thursday Club? Click here!

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: The famous grapes from Piedmont, Italy

This week on the Thursday Club, we start to feel a little more Autumnal and head to Piedmont in Italy, which always comes into it’s own at this time of year. Think truffle hunting, wild boar stews, foggy mornings… it’s just beautiful. Piedmont is also home to some of the most famous wines in Italy. It’s the home of Barolo, Barbaresco, Gavi, Barbera and Dolcetto to name but a few and all are fantastic food wines. Today we are looking at three grapes that deserve your attention: Arneis, Barbera and Nebbiolo. Huge thanks to Corney & Barrow who supplied al l the wines for this tasting.

Roero Arneis, Cascina Ghercina, Italy, 2019

Keep your eye out for this white grape as it becomes more popular. If you’re looking for an alternative to Gavi, this elegant little white is for you. Arneis is the grape and here it comes from it’s spiritual home in the hills of the Roero, northwest of Alba in Piedmont. It’s a tricky grape to grow, which is why it’s often called the little rascal, but when treated properly, it flourishes to give a crisp, white wine with delicate floral aromas, notes of ripe pear, apricot and a touch of sweet spice. 

Find it here for £12.95 

Barbera d'Alba, Fratelli Antonio e Raimondo, Italy, 2019

The pretty, foggy hills of Piedmont’s Alba is the perfect place for classic Barbera (that’s the grape) like this one. Silky smooth and perfumed with notes of red cherry and fruits of the forest, this is a red for those who like less tannic reds like Pinot Noir without the bombastic fruit and oak of the New World. Quietly elegant and seductive, this is cracking with charcuterie too.

Find it here for £12.75.

Langhe Nebbiolo, Pian delle Mole, Giulia Negri, Italy, 2019

Nebbiolo is the most famous grape of Piedmont and one of the most notable in Italy, being responsible for the wines of Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. It’s a paradox, looking quite pale and elegant in the glass but packing real power on the palate. Think Dita Von Tease and what she can do with a pole... The elegance but oh, the power! Tar and roses is the classic tasting note for Nebbiolo as well as a touch of marzipan, violet and truffle when it has a bit of age. They can keep for years thanks to the tannin and often need time to age. When from the Langhe region however like this one, they can be much more fruit forward and ready to drink earlier. 

Find it here for £18.50

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Off the beaten track with The Wine Society

This week on the Thursday Club with Mike Graham on talkRADIO, we have a special guest! Helena is away, so Mr Freddy Bulmer is stepping in, presenting some fabulous, off-the-beaten-track wines. Freddy is a buyer at The Wine Society and is responsible for Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Eastern Europe as well as beers and cider. What a great job! Here are three Society wines that he’s handpicked for you from places that deserve a little more attention.

Villa Melnik Syrah, Bulgaria 2018

A brilliant value example of this superstar grape, grown in this instance in south-west Bulgaria! This is full bodied and bursting with fig and juicy blackcurrant flavours. There’s a peppery twist which gives this bargain bottle a warming bit of spice, and combined with the full, fruity flavours this makes it a perfect choice for Autumnal drinking. Worth veering of the beaten track for!

Find it here for £6.75

Xinomavro Jeunes Vignes, Thymiopoulos, Greece 2019 

This Greek red grape variety is little known in the UK but is well worth getting excited about! Coming from the north of Greece, not too far from the city of Thessaloniki, this medium bodied wine is similar to France’s pinot noir in some respects and northern Italy’s Barolo in others. Quite simply this has to be one of the best value wines available in the UK at the moment and it’s sure to surprise and delight all who fill their glass with it! Not to mention Apostolos Thymiopoulos, winemaker extraordinaire, is one of the nicest people in the wine world!

Find it here for £11.95

Nibiru Grundstein Rosé, Kamptal, Austria 2020 

This fresh, raspberry-sorbet-laden rosé comes from the beautiful rolling hills of Austria, around an hour west of Vienna. Made from an inspired blend of local grapes zweigelt and blauer portugieser, this has a delicious hint of freshly picked herbs and vivid red berry fruit. Light, bright and impossibly refreshing, this is the perfect rosé for drinking into Autumn as the summer comes to an end.

Find it here for £13.95

You can listen to previous episodes of Mike Graham’s show on talkradio TV here. For more infomration on the The Wine Society, click here!

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Pisco, Cachaça and Absinthe

It’s an international theme on The Three Drinkers this week: World drinks you’ve heard of but might not be quite sure what they are! We take a deep dive into Cachaça from Brazil, Pisco from Peru and Absinthe from France! All these drinks are very much finding their own place in the UK finally and so deserve your attention. Here’s a little more about them. Huge thanks to The Whisky Exchange who sent us all the samples. 

Cachaça 

Try: Sagatiba Cachaça Cristalina

If you’ve ever had a Caipirinha, you’ve had Cachaça; the white spirit of Brazil, who produces 800 million litres of the stuff every year! In Brazil, it’s also known as Aguardente de Cana and it’s close in style to a white rhum agricole, distilled from fermented, fresh sugar cane to produce a fruity, slightly spicy, slightly funky spirit. When exported it must be labelled as Cachaça to stop confusion with rums from other countries. 

White Cachaça may be labelled as branca (white), clássica (classic), tradicional (traditional) or prata (silver). Amarela (yellow) Cachaça aka ouro (gold) or envelhecida (aged), is stored or aged in wood, thus changing its colour. “Premium" Cachaça has been aged for at least 12 months in suitable barrels, whereas "Extra Premium" has seen at least three years.  

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £21.95 for 70cl.

Simple Caipirinha recipe

1 lime, cut into wedges

60ml ounces Cachaça

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Lime wheel for garnish

Ice

Muddle the lime and sugar in a rocks glass, then add the Cachaça and ice and stir briefly before adding the garnish. 

Pisco

Pisco is a grape brand produced in Peru and Chile that first appeared in the 16th century when the conquistadors started to grow grapes to make wine. They then distilled the results to make Pisco. It’s clear or slightly yellowy because they don’t age it in barrels and neat, it can be dry and earthy or floral and fruity. Sip it neat or make a deliciously refreshing Pisco Sour by adding lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white.

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £30.45 for 70cl

Simple recipe for a Pisco Sour

30ml Pisco

15ml lime juice

15ml simple syrup

1 egg white

Garnish: Angostura bitters

Add the Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) vigorously. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass and garnish with 3 to 5 drops of Angostura bitters. Using a toothpick or similar, swirl the bitters into a simple design.

Absinthe

Try: La Maison Fontaine Blanche

Although originally Swiss, it's fair to say that France claimed it as its own as the spirit that conjures up images of bohemian Parisian in the late 19th- and early 20th century with artists and writers all going a little bit bonkers after drinking it, notably Baudelaire, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Marcel Proust. It’s an anise-flavoured spirit made from various plants including the famous wormwood, sweet fennel and other medicinal plants. It was always naturally slightly green in colour (hence its nickname, ‘the green fairy’) but can also be made clear. Absinthe is bottled at a high % abv, though it’s meant to be diluted with water. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug as it has been portrayed, though it does have trace elements of thujone; a chemical compound that has been known to lift mood. For many years, Absinthe was banned in the United States but in 2007, it was reintroduced after rigorous testing proved it did not present a health risk or cause louche behaviour.

This blanche Absinthe is made in a pre-ban style with notes of sweet fennel, cereal and  licorice. White absinthes tend to be a bit smoother and less herbal than green ones - often less strong too.  

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £20.75 for 20cl - 56%

Simple Absinthe Cocktail Recipe  ‘Death in the afternoon’

25ml of Absinthe

5ml of sugar syrup

120ml Sparkling wine

This punchy tipple was named after Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 book about Spanish bullfighting. Pour the absinthe into a flute with sugar syrup and stir, then top up with chilled Champagne or Sparkling wine. If you prefer something simpler however, try it with really cold water and ice or lemonade.