Halloween ‘glow in the dark’ special wine sounds like a horror story

If I had a Venn diagram of things I dislike, there’s one bottle that would appear slap bang in the middle of “Halloween” and “gimmick wine” – and that’s 19 Crimes’ glow in the dark Halloween special. Call me a grinch, or whatever the Halloween-hating equivalent is, but this is definitely a case of (questionable) style over substance.

19 Crimes has been called the “poster child” for wine marketing. Since its relaunch in 2018, it has grown to be one of the most recognised wine brands on our shelves, with sales smashing the five million case mark in 2021, having added the lucrative US market to its armoury. The 19 Crimes franchise accounts for a whopping 16 per cent of the Australian wine giant, Treasury Wine Estates’ total sales – these are enviable figures.

They have embraced an alternative style of marketing strategy – they are the “official wine partner” of UFC (that’s Ultimate Fighting Championships for the uninitiated), a “sport” that generates an annual turnover in the region of $1.3bn.

They can be found at the London Coffee Festival and craft beer festivals too, so it could be said that they’re working hard to engage a new audience of wine drinkers with their disruptive approach.

But is my dislike for this wine just a case of sour grapes on my part? Absolutely not. I am all for great marketing in wine – I really want people to discover the joy that can be found in a bottle of red or white and have regularly said that wine is one of the worst-marketed global products. But (and you can of course disagree with me) I just don’t think 19 Crimes is what we should be striving for.

For a start, they rarely actually talk about the wine itself – this is such a shame, because wine is glorious. The pleasure is trying one that you like and then exploring and discovering all the different styles you might enjoy too.

And then there’s what it actually tastes like: on my last tasting of the “red blend”, I found it to be a bland, overly sweetened fruit bomb which absolutely didn’t leave me craving more – I think I’d have felt like I’d been beaten up by a UFC fighter if I’d had a second glass.

For drinkers who love rich, full-bodied reds (as that’s their signature style), I want you to be able to discover all the wonderful fulsome grapes that are available without the need for a glow in the dark label. And really? Burying your wine in a graveyard to say it’s been “coffin aged” as a dig (ahem) to the “establishment” about barrel-aged wines is just insulting to wine drinkers, new and old alike.

The beauty of there being more than 10,000 grape varieties in the world is that there will be unending wines that suit you perfectly, including styles and grape varieties that are naturally more generous and concentrated.

Instead of multi-million bottle brands, seek out grape varieties like zinfandel, negroamaro and primitivo, which are naturally sweeter. And look for labels that have the words “ripasso” or “appassimento” which refer to traditional techniques that naturally dehydrate the grapes, thus concentrating the sugars; giving the wines an appealing chocolatey finish.

So, in the spirit of spreading the wine love, if you adore a big rich red, but want to try something that’s definitely more of a “treat” this Halloween, then these are the wines that you should be trying instead:

Sainsbury’s, £11 14% abv

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This is a joyous attack of cherry, ripe juicy plums, sweet mocha spice and a hint of chocolate bourbon biscuit too – I love this wine. The “appassimento” refers to a technique used in Italy whereby a portion of the hand-harvested grapes are dried in wooden crates to concentrate the sugars (think raisins) – this gives rich, naturally sweet aromas and flavours to the finished wine which are utterly delicious. And, thanks to the grape used to make this wine, sangiovese (more famous for making chianti), it’s not cloying at all due to its bright acidity.

Aldi, £7.99, 14% abv

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Hailing from the heel of Italy in the region of Puglia, the main grape used in this wine is negroamaro, which gives the wine an inky rich pour in your glass. This medium-to-full-bodied wine is brimming with bountiful blackberries, plump black cherries and a lick of warming vanilla too, it’s a joyous burst in your mouth.

Marks & Spencer / Ocado £8, 13.5% abv

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Zinfandel is always one of my favourite recommendations for wine lovers who love a rich, chocolatey style of wine. I was genuinely stunned at the price of this when I tried it – it’s got some serious class to it. Tasting this made me think of a luscious black forest gateau, with layers of cherry, whipped cream and fudgey chocolate tying this medium-to-fuller-bodied treat together beautifully.

Laithwaites, £13.99 (£11.99 mixed 6), 14% abv

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This is a great example of why Portugal is a treasure trove of outstanding, good value wines. From the Tejo valley in central Portugal, it’s made of a blend of syrah (also known as shiraz) and indigenous varieties. The finished result is a plush, velvety full-bodied red which has bucket loads of sweet cherry, ripe blackberries, toasted vanilla and cinnamon all wrapped together with a deeply satisfying long length.

Rosamund Hall (DipWSET) is a freelance writer, presenter and columnist specialising in wine and spirits as well as lifestyle, travel and parenting