Trick or Taste: Wines to try this Halloween!

There is only one night during the year when monsters take centre stage and fright ceases to be an emotion to be avoided. Halloween is the occasion to let loose: this autumn festivity - called Samhain by the ancient Celts - is the perfect excuse to organise themed dinners and have fun with friends.

For a truly unforgettable evening, here are the wines to try this Halloween!

Hors d'oeuvres... chilling!

The task of a good Halloween aperitif is to captivate diners even before the meal begins, as well as to amaze, frighten and amuse guests with original preparations and grotesque decorations. 

Halloween Stuffed Eggs

There is no need to bother with complex recipes to impress guests: you can start with simple stuffed eggs, opening them in half and whipping the yolk with mayonnaise, tuna and capers. The cavity left by the yolk is then filled with this delicious filling.

In a chilling version, the egg is decorated as if it were an eyeball, creating the pupil with a slice of black olive and tracing veins around it with red food colouring.

For a less scary version, the filling can instead mimic the look of a pumpkin: add a pinch of paprika or turmeric for an orange hue and place a piece of chives to represent the stalk of the vegetable.

The wine and Halloween menu pairing in this case is quite simple: we recommend a product that can adapt to the slightly sulphurous hints of the egg and the savouriness of the filling. A Cannonau di Sardegna DOC meets the right requirements, thanks to its velvety and elegant soul, its aromatic bouquet of ripe red fruits - including raspberries and blueberries - and its slightly spicy and balsamic aftertaste.

Puff pastry spiders

Arachnophobes will not be happy to hear this, but among the many symbols of Halloween, spiders are the most common, creepy tenants of abandoned cellars and haunted houses. On Halloween night, therefore, rooms can be decorated with fake spider webs, while in the kitchen there is no shortage of tasty hors d'oeuvres imitating the shape of these creatures. For example, a piece of frankfurter can be carved at the ends to create four 'little legs'. The body is then wrapped in a strip of puff pastry, into which two sesame seeds or cloves are inserted to create eyes.

Among the best wines to celebrate Halloween and to pair with this recipe is the refreshing and easy-drinking Prosecco DOCG. The unctuousness of the puff pastry and the savouriness of the frankfurters are lightened by the fine, persistent perlage of this bubbly, while the aromas of flowers and white-fleshed fruit and a slightly bitter finish liven up the appetiser.

Wines to try on Halloween with first and second courses

There are many symbols associated with this frightening holiday, some of which can be used as decorations for special recipes. You can create puff pastry mummies, for example, or use the famous pumpkin as the basic ingredient for a first course.

Monster Pumpkin Pasta

The tradition of carving pumpkins (called Jack-o'-lanterns) with eerie faces dates back to the Celtic peoples, among whom it was customary to decorate, hollow out and light some tubers with candles to ward off the spirits of the dead. So why not use the scraps to prepare a tasty pasta with pumpkin? This dish is a timeless classic of autumn cuisine and on Halloween you can make it 'monstrous' by using a very special kind of mixed pasta, in the shape of a spider, pumpkin or bat, which will look great on your plate!

The pumpkin cut into chunks is cooked in a pot with a little onion and herbs to taste (rosemary or thyme, for example), until a creamy consistency is achieved. For an extra note of flavour, sausage flakes can also be added.

At this point, the pasta should be risottoed directly together with the pumpkin, adding a little water from time to time.

Finally, all that remains is to uncork a bottle: among the best suggestions for a wine for Halloween is the Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Rosé DOC 2021, which holds up well to both the sweetness of the pumpkin and the savouriness of the sausage.

Pleasantly perfumed and fresh, the Cerasuolo displays aromas of red fruits and vanilla, with particular hints of black pepper enlivening the olfactory examination. On the palate it is refreshing, smooth and balanced, with a slightly almondy finish that is perfect to accompany a full-bodied dish like this.

Mummy at Wellington

For lovers of meat dishes, there is no shortage of tasty recipes with great decorative potential. One of these is a themed reinterpretation of fillet steak Wellington style.

Modifications to the original dish are minimal, as it is sufficient to wrap the slice of meat (preferably long and narrow) with strips of puff pastry, until the entire fillet is covered and it resembles a blindfolded mummy. To make it even more accurate, leave a small gap at the eyes (to be created with a couple of cloves).

Among the best wines for Halloween to pair with this tasty dish is Chianti Classico, even better in the Riserva version, with its intense red fruit aromas and full-bodied flavour. This ruby-red wine, the pride of Tuscany, displays a bold character, confirmed by hints of spices, tobacco and black pepper that are amplified with age. The taste is pleasant, thanks to not too intrusive tannins and a light mineral note.

Wines for the Halloween party and pumpkin pie

Excellent when used in savoury preparations, pumpkin also conquers the palate when used as the main ingredient in a dessert, such as a pumpkin pie. The sweet and spicy filling obtained from the pumpkin pie gives it a fluffy texture, which contrasts with the crumbliness of the shortcrust pastry shell. After the pie is baked and cooled, you can draw a thin spider's web on its surface with melted chocolate to make this recipe even more Halloween-friendly!

Excellent to savour on its own, pumpkin pie is at its best when tasted with an after-dinner product. Among the scary wines for Halloween, Judas Blood is a real must-have, not only because of its name, but also because of its intense colour and heady scent of fruit and spices. Its innate sugary component makes it perfect to accompany desserts like this and other Halloween treats!

Are you more of a trick-or-treater? If in doubt, get ready for the scariest night of the year by choosing the best wine labels to drink on Halloween on Svinando!