A century later, Concha y Toro continues to exploit ancient, lesser-educated agricultural workers on its promotional materials. While normally this may bother some people, it's a great name for a Halloween drink, and the wine is damn (or is that damned?) tasty.

The color is really deep, and keeps it all the way to the edge. The nose is a very unscary mix of black cherry, sweet plum and toasty oak.

The palate has great mouthfeel: soft and rich like blood (oh, what we wine writers must try to develop our palates), and thankfully doesn't taste like it. What it does taste like is (no surprise) cherry, plum, oak and a steely-slight mineral quality that's makes an otherwise fun, party cab a little more complex.

The finish isn't real long, but will get you through at least part of your Friday the 13th movie marathon.

And at these prices (I found the brand-spankin'-new 2001 for under $7), you could give this wine out to trick-or-treaters. Don't, though, OK? That's scary for other, non-Halloween reasons.

Boo,
TSW

* - WoW's party wine denotation is given to a bottle that you can bring to a (Halloween) party, and it'll make you look good -- but you won't be devastated if you end up not getting any.

Sir… Ma'am… step away from the bottle of Vampire wine!

Yes, it's Halloween time, but that doesn't automatically mean that you should bring that gimmicky bottle of wine to the costume party you're going to. (You do want to be invited back next year, don't you?)

Instead, bring something with its own Halloween-appropriate name that you'll actually want to drink! Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon has great flavor to go along with its great story.

Legend and lore (or at least marketing) have it that in the 19th century, the founder of Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, discovered that his vineyard workers were sampling his best wines. Rather than buy a lock for the cellar door or set up an attractive employee purchase program, Don Melchor spread the rumor that his deepest, darkest cellar was (insert Phantom of the Opera theme music here) the Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil), and put his prized wine there.