Between now and Halloween next week, we wanted to start the holiday season with recommendations for some scary wine… in a good way.

Sure, we see bottles with the cute labels all decked out — with blood or skulls and crossbones or ghostly images – and we wondered: Are they any good? We put on our wine-bewitching tasting hats and tried a few. Darn if we didn’t find some frighteningly decent wines, too.

From Lynn Kalber, Bold:

2010 Ghost Pines, Winemaker’s Blend, Calif. ($17.99, Total Wine; $22.99, Crown) – This wine is sourced from three different counties (40 percent Sonoma, 32 percent San Joaquin, 28 percent Napa), and is named in tribute to the native gray pines that appear to hover at twilight in the coastal California valleys. The vineyard was started by Louis P. Martini, son of Napa pioneer, Louis M. Martini, so there’s a strong foundation for this blended red wine (petite syrah, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot).

The color struck me right away – it’s a purple wine. Very purple and very pretty, with a good, dark berry nose. It’s medium-bodied in spite of the big grapes used, and on taste I got pepper and spice, some loamy notes, along with vanilla, cranberries, blueberries and blackberries. This isn’t a ghost-like apparition of a wine, it can stand up to the toughest ghostbusters. I liked this wine, and it was good as a standalone, or with food.

2008 Poizin Zinfandel, Sonoma, Calif. ($19.99, Total Wine) - The black bottle with the bright red skull and crossbones on it, along with the label, “The wine to die for,” could give some pause. It’s would definitely be a stand-out on a party bar, and this zinfandel can stand on its own, too. It has a very cherry, big nose on it, thanks to the zin grapes, and a deep, deep cherry taste. It’s a bold wine with some spicy kick to it, and pairs very well with food (Poizin and pizza, anyone?).

From Jennifer Podis, Earthy:

2009 Phantom, Bogle Vineyards, Calif. ($17.99 Total Wine, $19.99 ABC, $21.99 Crown) - A haunting wine indeed, it’s still beckoning and tempting me from the refrigerator for another glass, even as I write this. Phantom is a blend of 52 percent zinfandel, 46 percent petite sirah, and 2 percent mourvèdre. It had an enticing aroma of sweet vanilla, spice, and juicy dark berries. It had that warm berry pie effect and those delicious aromas translated to my tongue, making me salivate.

The flavors on the palate left me intrigued. Each time I took a sip, something new was waiting to be discovered. There was bright fruit up front, a complex body, gentle tannins, and a smooth finish. It’s a luscious wine of blackberries and raspberries, a little bit of cocoa, and sweet vanilla combining to create a decadent swirl.

2010 The Velvet Devil Merlot, Charles Smith Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington ($11.99 Total Wine) - The devil is 91 percent merlot and 9 percent cabernet sauvignon, and it certainly smells velvety, with soft aromas of black cherry, raspberry, and chocolate wafting from the glass. However, the palate is fairly simple and nothing noteworthy really lingers. There’s cherry and plum, it’s medium-bodied and uncomplicated, but it left me wanting more. There was nothing to ponder, nothing to dissect. It upholds the motto on the winery’s website: “It’s just wine, drink it.”

From J. Gwendolynne Berry, Dry:

2010 Cryptic Red Blend, Calif. (available at Inlet Liquors and Juno Beach Liquors) - This blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah and zinfandel is more soft and fruity than it is mysterious or spooky, but it’s still an easy crowd pleaser for your next costume party. A ripe aroma of blueberry, blackberry and chocolate greet the nose. On taste, big fruit meets soft tannins for a medium-full and lush mouthfeel. A bit of hot alcohol on the finish is the only scare factor.

2010 Mt Monster Chardonnay, Limestone Coast, Australia ($9.99, Total Wine) - This little white beast from southern Australia has its claws out. Extremely minerally and almost saline on nose and taste, this wine is very unlike other, more easy-going Aussie whites I have tried. I actually had a hard time picking out the fruit elements here - I got some tart citrus and maybe a bit of white peach, but there was something else in there that stayed just out of my grasp. Medium-bodied and dry, there was also a slight sharpness to the alcohol. I tasted a glass over the course of an hour, starting quite cool and letting it warm - and beyond classifying it as ‘different’ I’m still a bit stumped.

2007 Abracadabra Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington ($19.99, Total Wine) - A deep blood-red color in the glass, this wine has a pleasant nose of black cherry, black currant and plum with some sweet vanilla and cocoa aromas. On taste, the wine is harsher than expected with a medium -full body, medium tannins and a hot and slightly bitter finish. It was enough to scare me away.