Host An Epic Halloween Party With Gnarly Head Wines

Photo Courtesy of the Gnarly Head

BE A LOCAL LEGEND

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays of the year—and not just for kids anymore. It turns out adults also want to make costumes, carve pumpkins, and turn their abodes into terrifying haunted houses. For this spookiest of celebrations, plan a ghoulish bash for friends and family complete with seasonal appetizers and great wines, like Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel. Over the years, locals in Lodi, California, have noticed that around this time of year, the old gnarled vines which produce Gnarly Head take on an almost eerie appearance; some say, the unruly branches even look like a sea of hands growing from the soil.

CREATE PRE-PARTY BUZZ

In the planning stages, choose a theme, like Saints and Sinners, or say, Vampires Vs. Werewolves. Zombies are another recent fave—as in zombie cheerleaders, zombie superheroes, and zombie clowns. Download the new Gnarly Booth photo app, available on both the iTunes and Google Play app stores, and kick off all things ghoulish, spooky, and fun with this digital tool that "gnarlifies" your pics. Take a photo and then create an invite to send out at least two weeks beforehand. Then, in the days before the party, update your profile pic every few days to build buzz (think: gnarlified jack o'-lanterns; gnarlified pets; gnarlified friends).

PREP FOR A THRILLING TIME

About a week before, get down to the serious task of planning a menu and a beat-heavy playlist. Pour yourself a glass of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel and let the ideas flow. Keep your music choices upbeat so people will dance (or even do the monster mash). For another cool effect, jot down some classic Halloween movies to project on a wall; the kitschier the better, like silent black-and-white vampire flicks from the '30s. Of course, you'll also want to have a solid selection of culinary tricks-and-treats for guests to sink their teeth (or plastic fangs) into, like bite-size pumpkin pies. For vino, Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel is the perfect go-to with its rich core of dark raspberry and black cherry and layers of spice and chocolate.

TAKE GNARLY SELFIES

Encourage guests to wear costumes—and to be creative with the theme. During the party, set up a Gnarly Booth, where guests can use the app to take wicked selfies on your tablet or smartphone; they can provide a continuous stream of party pics. For added fun, supply a few pumpkins for an extreme pumpkin-carving contest. The highly coveted prize? A bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel to take home. This powerful wine, which is carefully crafted from full-flavored grapes grown on some of the oldest vines in California, is the ideal reward for intense competition.

For more information on Gnarly Head Wines, please find them on facebook: www.facebook.com/gnarlyheadwines