Vampire wine for the bloodthirsty wino

For the bloodthirsty wino

Michael Machat, Founder of Vampire Vineyards, invites all in Beverly Hills to 'Sip the blood of the vine' at his Vampire Lounge, and treats the nation to a variety of deliciously affordable Halloween-appropriate wine. Check out the wine at www.vampire.com

Vampires are hot these days -- and not just because it's Halloween.

From Anne Rice’s "Interview With a Vampire" series to the HBO hit "True Blood," vampires have become sexy and intriguing.

Which is exactly why Michael Machat decided to create a wine centered around them.

The CEO and founder of Vampire Vineyards actually had the idea for a Vampire wine back in the 1980s. “I liked wine at the time, and I had some friends into wine that were really stuck up about wine. I recall not being able to pronounce the names of most wines, and the idea seemed to be a great way to brand wine and make it friendly and fun.”

Vampire Wine is our entry-level wine with a price point around $10. Dracula was intended to be more of a mid-level wine, selling for around $20, but our Dracula Pinot Noir is an exception -- owing to the extensive time in French Oak and the grapes used in making that one a $35 wine. Chateau du Vampire is a small production range from Paso Robles priced in the mid $20's to mid $30's. Trueblood is our higher end wine range priced around $30.

No surprise, the tasting room is different, too. It’s not even at the vineyard.

Instead the Vampire Lounge is on Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills -- and it’s a real lounge.

Unlike most tasting rooms that open from 10a to 5p the Vampire Lounge opens around $p and stays open until 2am at times. “We serve wine by the glass like a wine bar, but we also do tastings like a tasting room. Unlike a tasting room, we don't push people out after they've had a tasting,” says Machat.

And he has every intention of fully exploiting the Vampire brand. Wine glasses, olive oil, chocolates and even Vampire coffee are all available now.

So pick up a bottle of Vampire wines this Halloween – and let me know what you think.