Ghost Pours: A Halloween Wine Tasting at Stem Wine Bar
Witches, haunted castles, sea monsters, and a few very spirited pours- October’s tasting at Stem Wine Bar came with a spooky twist.
This month’s Halloween wine tasting took us from the witch-filled folklore of Spain to California’s ghost stories, with a stop at a supposedly haunted Tuscan castle along the way. The theme was Ghost Pours, and each wine connected to something mysterious, mythical, or just a little sinister.
Of course, the stories were only part of the evening. Six wines, six food pairings, and a two-wine bonus flight gave us plenty to explore. Even the dishes got into character, with names like The Witch’s Broom, The Haunted Hare, and The Beast.
Consider this trick-or-treating for wine lovers.
A Quick Sip of Ghost Pours
Usually, our monthly Stem tastings focus on a particular region. This time, the stories behind the bottles brought the lineup together.
Some connections came from local folklore, like the Galician witches behind Pazo das Bruxas. Others involved historic properties with ghostly reputations or names inspired by legendary creatures.
The wines themselves covered plenty of ground, too. We started with two bright whites, moved into Pinot Noir and Sangiovese, and finished the main tasting with darker, richer reds. Then the bonus flight gave us two more bottles with stories to tell.
Round One: Witches & White Wines
We opened with two white wines that brought a little brightness to the dark side. One paid tribute to witches; the other came from a historic Napa estate with its own ghostly connection.
Familia Torres Pazo das Bruxas Albariño 2024
Rías Baixas, Spain
Grape: Albariño
Sight: Straw yellow with golden highlights.
Smell & Taste: White flowers, pineapple, apple, and lemon give this wine a fresh, fruit-filled profile.
Winery Note: Pazo das Bruxas translates to “Witches’ Manor” or “House of the Witches.” As we learned during the tasting, the name celebrates the folklore of Galicia in northwestern Spain, where stories of meigas—Galician witches—are part of the region’s cultural identity.
A wine with witches in its name? That’s a fitting way to start Ghost Pours. This Albariño also landed among my favorite wines of the evening.
Food Pairing: Crispy Cod & Potato Cake
Microgreen and frisée salad, pickled pepper, and lemon-herb aioli.
Pairing Highlight: The wine’s citrus notes offered a bright counterpoint to the crispy cod and potato cake. Meanwhile, the lemon-herb aioli echoed that freshness, tying the bite and the glass together. This was also one of my favorite dishes of the night.
Trefethen Chardonnay 2022
Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley, California
Grape: Chardonnay
Sight: Pale straw to pale gold.
Smell & Taste: Lime zest, melon, apple, and crushed stone, followed by lemon, crisp pear, and a touch of grapefruit. Bright acidity kept the profile lively.
Winery Note: Trefethen’s Chardonnay offered a fresh, restrained take on the grape, with oak playing a supporting role. The evening’s notes also introduced its historic estate as a “ghost winery,” along with a ghost story that fit the Halloween theme.
Food Pairing: The Witch’s Broom
Crispy phyllo-wrapped Fontina, pear-quince mostarda, smoked paprika, and pumpkin seed.
Pairing Highlight: Crisp pastry and melted Fontina brought richness, while the Chardonnay’s acidity provided balance. The pear-quince mostarda also picked up on the wine’s orchard-fruit notes.
Round Two: Devilish Reds & Haunted Castles
Next, we traded white wines for ruby reds. This round paired a red-eyed bull with a Tuscan ghost story, moving from California Pinot Noir to Italian Sangiovese.
Miura Pinot Noir 2023
Monterey, California
Grape: Pinot Noir
Sight: Bright ruby.
Smell & Taste: Cherry, raspberry, and wild strawberry, with hibiscus, cola, and dried herbs. Baking spices and smooth tannins rounded out the profile.
Winery Note: Founded by Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji, Miura takes its name from the famous Spanish fighting-bull lineage. Its bottles feature a distinctive red-eyed bull, giving this pour a suitably devilish look for the evening.
The Miura was another of my favorite wines, and its pairing made this round a highlight.
Food Pairing: The Smoked Widow
Lightly smoked pork tenderloin, caramelized onion and wild mushroom jus, pickled mustard seeds, and crispy sage.
Pairing Highlight: Pinot Noir and mushrooms make a natural pairing. Here, the wine’s red fruit offered contrast to the smoky pork, while its herbal and spice notes connected with the sage and savory jus. The pork tenderloin earned a spot on my list of favorite bites.
Barone Ricasoli “Brolio” Chianti Classico Riserva 2021
Tuscany, Italy
Grape: Sangiovese
Sight: Deep ruby red.
Smell & Taste: Ripe black cherry and blackberry, with balsamic undertones, tobacco, spice, and vanilla. Savory notes and velvety tannins added depth.
Winery Note: The spooky connection came from Castello di Brolio, the Ricasoli family’s ancestral estate. According to the local legend shared during the tasting, the castle is linked to the ghost of Baron Bettino Ricasoli, known as the “Iron Baron.”
A Tuscan castle with a ghost story certainly earned its place in this lineup.
Food Pairing: The Haunted Hare
Tuscan rabbit toast with tomato, olive, garlic, rosemary, and reduced braising jus.
Pairing Highlight: This pairing leaned into Sangiovese’s reputation as a food-friendly wine. Its acidity suited the tomato, while its savory character connected with the rabbit, olives, and rosemary.
Round Three: Monsters & Midnight Reds
The final main round turned up the intensity. A mythical sea creature and a Monterey ghost story introduced two dark reds paired with Wagyu and duck.
Leviathan 2023
California
Sight: Deep, dark ruby.
Smell & Taste: Boysenberry, black cherry, cassis, cocoa powder, and baking spices, balanced by cedar, sage, and graphite.
Winery Note: Founded by winemaker Andy Erickson, Leviathan takes its name from a massive mythical sea creature. The tasting notes described a winemaking approach that brings together fruit from multiple California sites—a fitting idea for a wine named after a beast of such enormous proportions.
Food Pairing: The Beast
Grilled Wagyu flank, black garlic bordelaise, charred onion, and cracked black pepper.
Pairing Highlight: A wine called Leviathan paired with a dish called The Beast felt right on theme. Dark fruit and savory notes suited the Wagyu, while the black garlic bordelaise added another layer of richness. The beef was one of my favorite dishes of the evening.
Stokes’ Ghost Petite Sirah 2023
Monterey, California
Grape: Petite Sirah
Sight: Inky, deep purple.
Smell & Taste: Jammy blackberry, dark plum, and black cherry, with mocha, dark chocolate, and vanilla.
Winery Note: This wine’s name draws on the story of James Stokes, whose ghost is said to haunt Monterey’s historic Stokes Adobe. Scheid Family Wines created Stokes’ Ghost as a nod to that local folklore.
With its dark color and rich flavor profile, this was an especially fitting pour for Ghost Pours—and it rounded out my three favorite wines of the night.
Food Pairing: The Black Wing
Crisped duck confit, roasted squash, tart cranberry-quince gastrique, and toasted pumpkin seed crunch.
Pairing Highlight: Rich duck confit gave the Petite Sirah a substantial partner. The cranberry-quince gastrique brought tart contrast, while roasted squash and pumpkin seeds added a seasonal touch.
Bonus Flight: Into the Fog & Temptation
The main tasting may have ended, but there were still two more stories in our glasses. The bonus flight brought us back to Pinot Noir before closing with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Drew Cellars Fog-Eater Pinot Noir 2023
Anderson Valley, California
Grape: Pinot Noir
Sight: Reddish-purple.
Smell & Taste: Sour cherry, wild strawberry, raspberry, and tart cranberry, with dried flowers and mint. Earthy notes included petrichor—that fresh-rain-on-dry-earth smell—plus black truffle and mushroom.
Winery Note: “Fog-Eater” comes from Boontling, the local language associated with Boonville. As explained in the tasting notes, it was a term for coastal dwellers living where Pacific fog blankets the landscape.
The name gave this wine its atmospheric connection to Ghost Pours. Its tart red fruit, earthy notes, and coastal story offered a different expression of Pinot Noir from the Miura earlier in the evening.
Faust Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Sight: Dark red with purple hues.
Smell & Taste: Black cherry, cassis, and ripe plum, with violet, cedar, tobacco leaf, and toasted baking spices.
Winery Note: Faust brought a literary connection to the lineup, drawing on the familiar tale of temptation, ambition, and a bargain with the devil. The tasting notes also highlighted the estate’s Coombsville setting and the cooling influence of air and fog from San Pablo Bay.
For a Halloween wine tasting, a final pour with a little devilish temptation felt like an appropriate ending.
My Favorites of the Night
With eight wines in the lineup, there was plenty to compare. My favorites were the Familia Torres Pazo das Bruxas Albariño, Miura Pinot Noir, and Stokes’ Ghost Petite Sirah. From the bright, citrusy white to the red-fruited Pinot and rich, dark Petite Sirah, my picks covered a little of everything.
On the food side, the Crispy Cod & Potato Cake, The Smoked Widow pork tenderloin, and The Beast grilled Wagyu flank topped my list. Those three pairings alone made a convincing case for coming hungry to a wine tasting.
If you enjoy following along with these monthly discoveries, take a look at my June Australia wine tasting recap for another evening of wines and creative pairings at Stem.
Final Pour
October’s Halloween wine tasting at Stem Wine Bar gave us plenty of stories to go with our sips. From Galician witches and a haunted Tuscan castle to a mythical sea monster and Monterey folklore, every round added another chapter.
The food carried the theme through the evening, too. With dishes like The Witch’s Broom, The Haunted Hare, and The Beast, the pairings were just as much a part of Ghost Pours as the bottles.
That’s what keeps me coming back to these monthly tastings: discovering wines, learning their stories, and seeing how a thoughtful food pairing brings everything together.
Next month, we’re heading to Argentina and Chile! Visit Stem Wine Bar’s upcoming tastings and events for details and reservations.
Until next month, cheers to traveling the world one glass at a time—and keeping the spirits in your wine glass.
