A DEADLY #WineWednesday and other Spirits...

Welcome to Deadly Wine Wednesday! 
A monthly post where my husband and I review bottles of wine we've bought and drank based
​solely on the label and nothing else. 

Today we're celebrating 
The Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos.

First up - HOB NOB Wicked Red Blend - I wrote a sneak preview during the October Frights Blog Hop about this wine. 

A little history: Do you know where the term Hob Nob came from? According the the online etymology it all started here...hobnob (v.) 1763, "to drink to each other," from hob and nob (1756) "to toast each other by turns, to buy alternate rounds of drinks," alteration of hab nab "to have or have not, hit or miss" (c. 1550), which is probably ultimately from Old English habban, nabban "have, not have," (that is, "to take or not take," used later as an invitation to drinking), with the negative particle ne- attached, as was customary (see have). Modern sense of "socialize" is 1866. Related: Hobnobbed; hobnobbing.

Hob Nob wine hails from France and every year they design a special bottle in honor of The Day of the Dead. My husband and I were both drawn to the colorful and artistic bottle as soon as we saw it.

Let me say that I'm a Merlot girl and my husband is a Cab guy. This wine in a blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir. Even though it's missing my beloved Merlot, we both enjoyed it. It's a deep reddish purple color and the combination of grapes worked. A bit dry, but with a slight fruit flavor to keep it light. My husband found an slight spicy aftertaste - I did not. We'll definitely buy the regular bottles of Hob Nob wine.

​Gil Lambert-Schwarz, wine reviewer for the Las Vegas Review Journals says, I can think of nothing more appropriate for Halloween and shortly thereafter, the Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos, for which it almost appears the gorgeous designs silkscreened on this bottle were created. Wicked Red needs to be paired with something meaty and bloody to celebrate, so why not try it with a slice of rare beef, perhaps even carpaccio.
 
Here in New England, a touch of summer warmth returned the beginning of October, so we drank Hob Nob's Wicked Red Blend with grilled chicken kabobs and pasta salad, nothing rare or bloody and it went well. 

​It's a delicious bargain at approximately $7 a bottle.

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Next, is La Catrina, a California cabernet sauvignon. We found this bottle at a spooky wine tasting we attended two weekends ago in a small wine store. 

The back of the label reads: Flowing from 3000 year old traditions, the Day of the Dead celebration reflects on memories and reminds us all to embrace life now. As the flavors and sensations of La Catrina engulf you, let your past and future merge to toast this moment. 

La Catrina Vineyard's whole line of wine celebrate The Day of the Dead - wedding style. Along with the bride and groom, which we had, they also feature the mother of the bride, the best man, the Bishop, etc. - which I think is so much fun and can't wait to try the other wines in the collection.

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You guessed it. We loved it. Is there a bottle of wine we don't like? Haven't found one yet...Even though I'm not a huge fan of cabernets, this was very good. It's dark, almost black, really, but smooth. Fall returned with chilly temps and the wind whipping, so we paired this with my mother's recipe for a hearty pot roast. Here's what Tastings.com had to say about it :  Earthy, jammy aromas of clay, dried goji berries and cranberries, and melted chocolate with a satiny, soft, fruity medium body and a captivating, snappy plum skin, cedar dust, and parchment finish with soft, well-integrated tannins and moderate oak. A juicy red wine with an easy drinking appeal.

I believe this bottle was a little more expensive, close to $15, but we were in a small wine store. You can probably find it cheaper in other places.

I promised "other" spirits...
Did you happen to  notice the white skill in the picture with the bride and groom?
"Blanco" contains the best tequila I've ever had.
It glides down your throat effortlessly -  just wonderful. 
I haven't had it in a Margarita yet, but I plan on it.
​
KAU TEQUILA - DAY OF THE DEAD TEQUILA

KAH Tequila - The Day of the Dead Tequila
KAH® was designed to pay reverence and honor to Mexico and its people. Its bottle and spirit are reflective of Day of the Dead, the 3,000 year-old Meso-American ritual honoring deceased loved ones. KAH’s unique packaging, in turn, is inspired by traditional Calaveras used in Dia de los Muertos rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.
​The word KAH translates to “life” in the ancient Mayan language. 

Every bottle is an individual, hand-crafted work of art, no two bottles are the same. While the bottle captures that enduring spirit, so does the tequila inside, as KAH’s distillers transform hand-selected 100% Blue agave into lively Blanco, Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo varieties that are both certified Organic and Kosher.

Next week, I'll be posting the history, traditions, etc of Dia de los Metros! Enjoy!