A truly scary thought indeed

A global wine shortage might soon be upon us.

While you're drinking your witch's brew and watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" today, be sincerely thankful for the wine you have in your cellar.

Last year saw the biggest shortfall in global wine supply in almost 50 years.

The United States and China have been drinking more, but the global production has not been keeping pace.

Linus has more on his mind than whether the Great Pumpkin will show up.

But there's good news! Global wine production for 2013 is projected to rise to the highest it's been in seven years. Although it takes more than one good harvest to boost the reserves, the situation is not dire enough to start hoarding bottles.

But you could keep that bathtub wine recipe handy just in case ...

IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE HALLOWINES!

The zombies will be having fun once this party has begun because the selection of Halloween wines seems to grow every year.

 

Pinot, merlot, chardonnay, malbec — they're all there. Paired with a peanut butter cup, popcorn ball or candy apple, it's the perfect Halloween treat.

The bottles also double as spooky decorations.

Add a creepy stopper and classic napkins to complete the eerie site.

 

If wine isn't your cup of brew, there are other options ... like tequila. Wine drinkers must exercise caution with this option or before they know it they'll be doing the Transylvania twist.

And these bottles are too cool to discard when empty — they are meant to be boxed up with other Halloween decorations in November and recycled year after year.

With the growing season winding down, mums and succulents are still great options for pots to greet those trick-or-treaters on the front porch.

And when you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you ...

The Wine Gardener visits The Wine Garden

Fall means cooler weather, fairs, fried foods, and now wine gardens.
 

I might have missed it in the past, but Sunday on a visit to the State Fair of Texas, I found
it. The weather was nice — perfect for relaxing outside and taking a load off your feet while
you watch your favorite football team beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the big screen.
 

In addition to Texas wines, the garden sold craft beers from around the state. Vendors
also sold cheese plates to nosh on while drinking your wine.
 

My favorite wine from the garden was a merlot from a winery in the Red River Valley in
St. Joe, Texas.
Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard was, for many years, one of the foremost ostrich
breeding and ranching facilities in the southwest. The structure that contains the
winery, tasting room and offices was once filled with ostrich eggs. In the 1980s and
90s, hundreds of ostrich roamed on the property.
 

Another wine I enjoyed in the garden was a "Super Texan," which is a dry mediumbodied
Sangiovese blend from Flat Creek Estate in Marble Falls, Texas.

On the fence? The wine garden offered taste tests before committing to the full glass.

The Texas state fair is known for its fried food. Hundreds of vendors serve up creative concoctions, all battered and tossed in the deep fryer.
 

Some foods are larger than life. And look like something Fred Flinstone would enjoy.

If you're drinking red wine, I suggest the fried Cuban roll, which is pork shoulder, ham, swiss cheese and special sauce rolled up in pastry dough, fried. 

If you like white, try the fried Thanksgiving, which is stuffing, turkey and cream corn fried. The Texas Fireball, which is pimiento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper and bacon, covered in jalapeno-infused batter and fried, would also do well with a crisp white.
  

You have better chances winning the Powerball than winning a ring toss, according to one fair employee.

When you're done in the wine garden and you've had your fill of fried food, don't forget
to stop by the Midway — you might get lucky and win an electric guitar.

Wine Wednesday: Craft edition

Recently, I was walking through one of those home décor stores and saw an interesting wall decoration. 

Metal letters, pre-boarding.

Metal letters were secured on wooden bread boards and hung behind a display. 

The items that aren't for sale are sometimes the most interesting items in a store.

That got me thinking — I could make letter boards of my own. 

While I was wandering the fields of Warrenton earlier this month at the Round Top Antiques Fair, I stumbled upon bread boards. 

Around the corner was a booth selling metal letters.

Staging the craft.

I used small nails to secure the letters to the boards. I think they turned out nicely.

Wine-infused antique hunt

This past weekend, the Round Top Antiques Fair wrapped up its fall show in and around Round Top, Texas. The government is shut down, but this show always goes on. 

I found a few things I liked. 

On Saturday, I came across a booth in a field between Warrenton and Round Top that was peddling a unique product. Wine bottles house wine-infused candles, handmade in South Carolina by Rewined Candles.

 

I found another treasure in a field nearby that is an example of the ingenuity inspired by this show.

 

Do you have an industrial chemical carrier that you're not using right now? You can put some wine in it!

The weather held up for the most part and there were so many people at the fair — it seems like there are more and more people each time I go.

I can't wait until April.