The little ones will soon be out gathering treats and I would like to offer a few appropriately named wines for the adults to enjoy on All Hallows’ Eve, or any time for that matter.

Daunting for their taste profile of Californian sunshine and pure deliciousness – I would even suggest yumminess – I will lead off with four packed with pure enjoyment.

Here are the thoughts from the winemaker of 2019 Bogle Phantom: “This vintage, petite sirah leads this haunting red blend with intense notes of dark blackberry and rich boysenberry. Zinfandel adds fiery pepper notes and brings a balanced structure to the final wine. In the finish, tantalising layers of baking spices swirl among velvety tannins that have softened as they’ve aged 22 months in American oak. A sip of Phantom unfurls a seductive mystery yet to be solved. Blend: 56 per cent petite sirah, 44 per cent zinfandel.”

Critic Wilfred Wong says: “Attractive and firm on the palate. This wine offers aromas and flavours of candied blackberries and hints of spiciness. Pair with well-seasoned, grilled leg of lamb. 92/100.” Another writer says, “The long tannins leave a lingering finish that envelops the senses like a thick fog.” $33.90 (Stock #8045)

Michael and David Phillips are brothers whose family has farmed fruits and vegetables in the Lodi region since the 1850s and cultivated wine grapes for nearly a century. Our 2020 Michael David Winery Freakshow is deep dark ruby in colour, and it is filled with aromas of raspberry, violet, spice and butterscotch candies. Full bodied but smooth and polished with flavours of black cherry, coffee and blueberry that are interwoven with cinnamon and wood smoke, carrying through to the smooth and lasting finish.

The Tasting Panel comments, “This blend is full of delicious flavours from varieties that Lodi excels at, namely 54 per cent syrah, 42 per cent petite sirah and 4 per cent sezao. Deeply pigmented, with terrific depth of flavour to match, it is soft yet broad on the palate, showing natural sweetness from the fruit's ripeness but no alcoholic heat or stewed character. 91/100.” $29.65 (Stock #7111)

We move on to 2018 Orin Swift Machete that is a blend of predominantly petite sirah with a bit of syrah and grenache. You may know that this Napa Valley winery is renowned for their labels and for this wine, over 10,000 photographs were taken that feature women in a position of power – representing the power held in the bottle. Twelve different labels are featured, so you could start a collection!

A gothic mauve with a vivid neon rim, the wine appears almost black in the glass. Notes of wet stone, black plum and crushed gravel reverberate from within. Bold upfront, the palate is all-enveloping with mixed berry crepe, black liquorice and a touch of char. Layered and omnipotent in weight, the wine finishes with ripe petite sirah tannins, providing a pleasant closing texture.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awards it 93/100 and prints, “Deep garnet-purple coloured, the 2018 Proprietary Red Machete needs some swirling to reveal a core of beautiful crushed black plums, boysenberries and black cherry compote, plus hints of cracked black pepper, garrigue and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with muscular, crunchy black fruits and plush tannins, finishing long with lovely freshness.” $74 (Stock #6643)

Although stocks are low, more will arrive soon and I would like to mention the Hope Family Troublemaker Blend #14. This winery believes that in the case of this blend, they can produce more of the profile that they are looking for by blending different vintages, hence the “lot number 14”. The grapes for Troublemaker are sourced from key vineyard sites throughout the Central Coast, adding to the complexity of the blend. The warm climate of Paso Robles, specifically Estrella and El Pomar districts, provides much of the syrah and petite sirah to the blend, adding body, depth and colour to the wine. Other Central Coast vineyard sites were chosen for their unique characteristics, including grenache and mourvèdre from the Arroyo Grande Valley and syrah from Edna Valley ultimately leading to a more complex blend.

Their winemaker’s notes are as follows: “The grapes were harvested, crushed, then cold-soaked prior to fermentation. We utilise both a small open top and pump over fermenters, as we ferment all varietals separately for seven to 14 days. Wines were aged in oak between 12 and 20 months, depending on the vintage. All barrel ageing was done in French and American oak barrels, 55 per cent of which were new. Blend 14 was assembled in January of 2021.” $28.90 (Stock #8029)

Maybe you are serving salmon, tuna, pork or chicken and would prefer a gentler quaff to celebrate the ritual of Hallowe'en. Our 2018 Ritual Pinot Noir hails from organic vineyards in the Casablanca Valley of Chile that sits just a few miles from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, where a Humboldt current creates early morning fog and breezes ideal for pinot noir.

The vineyards are surrounded by 6,000 acres of forest, promoting biodiversity and sustainability in the environment. The grapes were hand harvested and double sorted before fermentation, in which a portion of the fruit is whole cluster fermented, adding extra spice and tannin. The 2018 growing season saw significant rainfall in the winter and moderate temperatures throughout the season, resulting in a long hang time that guaranteed full physiological ripeness and intense flavour profiles. Critic James Suckling says, “Nuanced fragrance, full of racy raspberries, mossy berries, forest floor and spices. Elegant, but deep. Smooth, round, and subtle on the palate. So much poise, showcasing fine pinot character. 93/100.” $24.90 (Stock #6170)

I do hope that treats abound and that there is no need for tricks but just in case, maybe I should mention 2021 19 Crimes The Punishment Pinot Noir. Thankfully we are no longer banished to Australia for stealing fish from a pond or even impersonating an Egyptian (no space to explain that one here). This wine is soft with round tannins along with cherry, strawberry, vanilla, and spicy oak. $19.80 (Stock #6228)

May you have a boo-tiful October 31.

• This column is a paid-for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd and Discovery Wines & Spirits. Michael Robinson can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm. Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554) and Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355). Discovery Wines & Spirits stores are located in Hamilton (corner of Queen Street and Reid Street, 232-0090) and Pembroke (Bakery Lane, 296-9463). Visit www.wineonline.bm