The grapes are hand-harvested in order to select the perfectly dried bunches. It takes a good deal of these grapes to create even the smallest amount of wine. It tastes of marmalade, honey, citrus rind, ginger and tropical fruit, with oak aging adding sweet vanilla notes. Sauternes ages spectacularly, so patience pays off as you'll be able to appreciate the full spectrum of flavor. This 2001 Château d'Yquem is a textbook example and consistently scored 100 points from Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW and Robert Parker. Parker wrote that it is expected to age effortlessly for 75+ years with a drinking window of 2021-2100.

Another one of our Halloween treats for adults is Hungary’s Tokaj. Like Sauternes, Tokaj benefits from noble rot formed at the conjunction of the two rivers, in this case the Tisza and Bodrog. Beyond that, it sets itself apart from Sauternes both in the grapes and the method of winemaking. The varieties used are Furmint, Harslevelu and Sarga Muskotály (Muscat). Rather than harvesting and pressing botrytized grapes, in Tokay, grapes are picked both with and without noble rot. Traditionally, the botrytized grapes are made into a paste and the healthy grapes made into still wine. There is also a style of Tokaj known as Tokaji Essencia, made only with the juice of fully botrytized wines. The levels of sugar are so high the wine takes a long time to ferment and only achieves around 4% alcohol. These wines are so rich, thick and sweet they are sometimes served from a spoon. Expect notes of apricots, citrus, rye bread, coffee and caramel.

Germany’s Eiswein is, as you may have guessed, made from frozen grapes. By law, the grapes must be picked under 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 C). The grapes are pressed while frozen, leaving the ice in the press and yielding highly concentrated juice rich in sugars and acid. Because keeping grapes on the vines until temperatures are low enough - typically around December - is risky, Eiswein is precious and rare. It demonstrates exceptional purity of fruit with flavors of peach and grapefruit. They are lusciously sweet but have high levels of acid to balance them out.