December 4, 2022
Join the 8th Annual Online Celebration of Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is often considered a blending grape, but after farming a small block near John Komes’ home on the Rutherford side of the Komes Ranch for decades now, we know this grape can produce a luscious, smooth and rich wine that stands on its own.
For ten years now, Flora Springs General Manager Nat Komes has paid tribute to our ghostly history by producing special limited-edition, one-of-a-kind Halloween wine bottles for our Wine Club and Mailing List Members, one of which is a Cabernet Franc named All Hallows’ Eve. Some years a favorite label is sold out upon release.
Cabernet Franc Day
How to participate:
- Join us online December 4. We’ll be talking about Cabernet Franc all day.
- Follow us on your favorite social site: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
- Enter to win: Tweet or Instagram with us on December 4 using hashtags #CabernetFrancDay or #CabFrancDay and @florasprings in your tweets/posts.
- We will pick one lucky Flora Springs fan to win a Flora Springs prize pack.*
Our Halloween wines from Napa Valley are some of Flora Springs’ most anticipated annual releases. Learn more about our Wine Clubs to ensure an allocation of these limited, popular seasonal releases.
*Must be 21+ to enter. Void where prohibited. Wine will not be included in prize pack. Chance of winning depends on number of entries.
December 4, 2021
Join the 7th Annual Online Celebration of Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is often considered a blending grape, but after farming a small block near John Komes’ home on the Rutherford side of the Komes Ranch for decades now, we know this grape can produce a luscious, smooth and rich wine that stands on its own.
For the past seven years, Nat Komes has delighted in creating a limited-edition, one-of-a-kind Halloween Wine, a Cabernet Franc named All Hallows’ Eve.
Cabernet Franc Day
How to participate:
- Join us online December 4. We’ll be talking about Cab Franc all day.
- Follow us on your favorite social site: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
- Enter to win: Tweet or Instagram with us on December 4th using hashtags #CabernetFrancDay or #CabFrancDay and @florasprings in your tweets/posts.
- We will pick one lucky Flora Springs fan to win a Flora Springs prize pack.*
Our Halloween wines from Napa Valley are some of Flora Springs’ most anticipated annual releases. Learn more about our Wine Clubs to ensure an allocation of these limited, popular seasonal releases.
*Must be 21+ to enter. Void where prohibited. Wine will not be included in prize pack. Chance of winning depends on number of entries.
October 10, 2021
Halloween is always a cause for celebration at Flora Springs. After all, with one of the few remaining Napa Valley Ghost Wineries in Napa Valley, we are constantly reminded that there are phantoms and spirits who walked here before us. For the last decade we’ve paid tribute to our ghostly history by producing special Halloween wine bottles, which have become some of our most anticipated and highly sought after annual releases.
Whether you’re fully ready to get your spooky on with all of your friends or just looking to amp up a chill hang, we worked some magic to round up a few tips to conjure up a spooktacular Halloween.
At-Home Halloween Party Inspiration
1) Cast Your Spell With These Bewitching Halloween Wines
Treat yourself and your guests with our one-of-a-kind Halloween-themed labels. Order early, as these limited-edition wines sell out quickly—plus, shipping may take longer this year. See this year’s spooky selections.
“With Halloween fast approaching, treat yourself to special bottles from Flora Springs. This iconic Napa Valley winery celebrates every Halloween with flair. This collectable bottle changes annually, but for each Halloween-themed label the winery’s General Manager, Nat Komes, collaborates with a variety of artists. Marc Sasso, an artist from New York known for comics, skateboards, and album covers, designed this “witches at a party” label. The sumptuously sleek wine inside is made with Cabernet Franc (the Good Witch of red grape varieties). It showcases dark berry fruit, mineral notes, and a supple texture for a serious wine with a whimsical touch.” Read more. —Leslie Sbrocco, San Francisco Bay Times
2) Impress With Jack-o-Lantern Baked Brie by The Okayest Moms
Easy to make, fun, and delicious—the perfect appetizer! Find the recipe here.
3) Serve Up Pumpkin Cacio e Pepe by My Diary of Us
A seasonally-inspired twist on a favorite pasta dish that’s cozy and hearty, find the recipe here.
4) Decorate Sustainably and On a Budget
Look around your house and repurpose your succulents, houseplants or other decor to create a festive setting.
5) Experiment With a Different Color Palette
Look to unique sources—like our 2019 All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc label—and go beyond orange and black.
6) Make Your Photos Insta-Worthy
Wow your followers with an epic photo of your Halloween celebration featuring a surprise smoke bomb, just like @wishesandwine.
Or, dress all in black and find a gorgeous background like @napavalleytip.
What ideas do you have in your bag of tricks? Share your Halloween photos with us on Instagram—tag @florasprings and use #florasprings. We’ll share the best of the bunch and one lucky Flora Springs fan will win a Flora Springs prize pack.*
*Must be 21+ to enter. Void where prohibited. Wine will not be included in prize pack. Chance of winning depends on number of entries.
December 4, 2020
Join the 6th Annual Online Celebration of Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is often considered a blending grape, but after farming a small block near John Komes’ home on the Rutherford side of the Komes Ranch for decades now, we know this grape can produce a luscious, smooth and rich wine that stands on its own.
For the past six years, Nat Komes has delighted in creating a limited-edition, one-of-a-kind Halloween Wine, a Cabernet Franc named All Hallows’ Eve.
How to participate:
- Join us online December 4. We’ll be talking about Cab Franc all day.
- Follow us on your favorite social site: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
- Enter to win: Tweet or Instagram with us on December 4th using hashtag #CabFrancDay and @florasprings in your tweets/posts.
- We will pick one lucky Flora Springs fan to win a Flora Springs prize pack.*
*Must be 21+ to enter. Void where prohibited. Wine will not be included in prize pack. Chance of winning depends on number of entries.
September 22, 2019
Exclusively for Great Tastes Wine Club Members
Calling all music lovers! Nat Komes personally invites you to our own Antiques Roadshow-style Pick Up Party focusing on music collectibles and memorabilia. Guests are invited to bring up to two items – including vinyl records (LPs, 45s, 87s, EPs), CDs, posters, flyers, handbills, sheet music, scores, folios, awards, photographs, programs, tickets and/or concert materials – to have them evaluated by Stephen M.H. Braitman, ASA Accredited Senior Appraiser of Music, Archives & Memorabilia. You can also sell and/or swap memorabilia with other Wine Club Members! And of course the festivities will be accompanied by delicious new releases from Flora Springs, including our much anticipated Halloween Wines.
Join Nat and the Flora Springs team and be sure to bring your dancing shoes. We’ll have a DJ spinning vinyl on the rooftop! Space is limited so we encourage you to RSVP today to Wine Club Manager Madeline Nossiter at (800) 913-1118 or wineclub@florasprings.com by September 16th. Space is limited and will sell out quickly.
Complimentary for Wine Club Member and one guest
Additional guests: $50 per person
Learn more about the benefits of Wine Club membership.
September 1, 2019
It’s no secret that Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, and it’s that time of year again when we conjure up the ghosts of spirits past. September 1 – October 31, join us at The Room for a frightful good time.
Enjoy an exclusive tasting of our seasonal, winery-only Halloween wines that will send shivers down your spine. Taste the new release of our limited-production 2017 Ghost Winery Malbec and 2017 All Hallows’ Eve, each year recognized by Catherine Bugue, the St. Helena Star’s tasting panel writer who writes “It’s Halloween…gather up friends and good wine on the 31st for a night’s respite from the weekly grind? Adding a wine like Flora Spring’s iconic All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc brings good fun to the mix.”
Since everyone loves Halloween decorations, we will have our favorite skeleton art installed on the front of the building.
Learn more about visiting The Room and our more anticipated releases of the year, our Halloween Wines.
August 15, 2019
Plan your Halloween Wine Country Visit
Halloween is more than just a day at Flora Springs…it’s an entire season! After all, with one of the few remaining Napa Valley Ghost Wineries on our property, we’re reminded year-round that there are phantoms and spirits who walked here before us. So we celebrate in a big way, dreaming up fun costumes, planning spooky tastings and events, such as our Ghost Winery Tour, and looking for new ways to decorate The Room, The Estate and our own homes. For General Manager Nat Komes and his wife Anne there’s another reason to celebrate: their wedding anniversary falls on October 31st!
Napa Valley Halloween
Of course in Napa Valley the wine you serve on Halloween is nearly, if not just, as important as the candy bowl! It’s the adult version of the “treat,” and that’s why we put so much effort into producing special Halloween-themed wines for our Wine Club and Mailing List Members. These are not your average Halloween wines, made to drink and forget. We set the bar high in terms of quality, using some of the best fruit from our estate property, including Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Because these vineyard blocks are small, they lend themselves perfectly to these limited-edition wines.
Unique Labels
Our Halloween labels are also a labor of love. Each year Nat Komes and his team let the creative juices flow as they seek inspiration from album cover art, comic books, children’s book illustrators and other artists to create brand new one-of-a-kind labels and packages. Skeletons, witches, pumpkins and black cats have all found their way onto these labels, in whimsical designs meant to treat, not trick. The only exception is our Ghost Winery Malbec, which always features a hand-drawn etching of our historic stone cellar on a label reminiscent of Flora Springs’ earliest releases.
Now is the best time to acquire your favorite labels, as these wines sell out fast. See all of our seasonal, winery-only Halloween Wines—they’ll send shivers down your spine! Do you have a favorite design?
Halloween Entertaining
We’d love to hear about your Halloween traditions and party ideas. If you have a story or tradition to share, email us at info@florasprings.com or check out our We LOVE Halloween Pinterest board where we have collected all types of creative entertaining tips and ideas for a spooky wine tasting party.
October 23, 2018
Note: The following article was originally written by Catherine Bugue and published in the St. Helena Star on October 16, 2018 and can be found here.
Wine of the week: Flora Springs All Hallows’ Eve 2016 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley
It was dark. She was tense. He came at her with a knife.
And as she grabbed the knife away from him, she sighed irritably, and used the corkscrew end to open the wine bottle herself. She was in no mood for his theatrics.
It’s Halloween — it’s time for stories! Why not gather up friends and good wine on the 31st for a night’s respite from the weekly grind? Adding a wine like Flora Spring’s iconic All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc brings good fun to the mix. The 2016 Cabernet Franc label features a spooked black cat and carved pumpkin; the wine has enough rich dark fruits and spice complexity to stand up to the spookiest of ghost stories.
See also special etched bottles like the Drink in Peace Merlot, complete with coffin wine box.
Order by 5 pm October 23 for delivery by Halloween. Please call (800) 913-1118 with questions on shipping times. Shop now.
October 11, 2018
Note: The following article was originally written by Jess Lander and published in the Napa Valley Register on October 11, 2018 and can be found here.
Creepy visitors, ghostly wines: Flora Springs gets into the spirit of Halloween
As a tribute to their 1885 ghost winery, one of the few remaining in the area, Flora Springs Winery goes all out for Halloween.
You can’t miss the trio of enormous skeletons that dance outside their Highway 29 tasting room in St. Helena. Inside, the walls are covered in cobwebs, rooms are transformed into a crematorium and morgue, and you might just find a headless horseman sitting at your table and struggling to sip his wine (for a lack of mouth). But the decorations, done by local design team, The Baker Sisters, are just the beginning. The winery’s Halloween preparation starts months in advance.
For eight years running, Flora Springs has released a collection of limited release, Halloween wines. Featuring custom labels and usually 100 percent bottlings of varieties that are traditionally used for blending, the initiative was started by Nat Komes, general manager and son of proprietors John and Carrie Komes. He has a personal fondness for the holiday and even tied the knot on Oct. 31.
Komes’ inspiration for the Halloween collection came from an unlikely place: beer. Once a year, hundreds of thirsty fans spend hours lined up outside Santa Rosa’s Russian River Brewing Company, all for a taste of their cult release, Pliny the Younger.
He wanted his own version of that, saying, “I was trying to generate some of that excitement in the wine business.”
There might not be a line outside of Flora Springs, but there’s certainly a high demand among the winery’s followers. The Halloween wines often sell out well before Halloween each year and have become collectors items in the cellars of many wine club members.
It all started with the Ghost Winery series in 2010. For the labels, Komes partnered with artist Wes Freed, best known for his eerie illustrations on Drive-By Truckers album covers. One of those albums was a favorite of Komes’ brother.
“My brother passed away from cancer right when I was starting the Ghost Winery project,” said Komes. “That’s how I got a hold of Wes Freed, because that was his favorite record at the time. I reached out to him, started telling him about my brother, how he loved the art, and he came right back to me and said, ‘Let’s get going on this.’”
Over the years, the Ghost Winery series evolved into the Halloween collection with a Ghost Winery label at its centerpiece. Always a bottling of malbec —fittingly sourced right in front of Flora Springs’ ghost winery — the label is a modern interpretation of the 1978 label. It features a sketch of the stone ghost winery building, which was severely damaged in a fire in 1900, but has since been restored.
While the Ghost Winery Malbec stays the same every year, the labels of the others change. Komes develops his vision by scouring through children’s books, album covers, comic books and even skateboards, then contacts the respective artist and commissions them to create a one-of-a-kind wine label for that year’s release.
His favorite label of 2018 is the 2016 All Hallows’ Eve Cabernet Franc, a throwback to old school Halloween imagery of a black cat and jack-o-lantern. The art was done by artist Emmenline Forrestal, a former wig maker who illustrated the children’s book “Gloppy,” a favorite of Komes’ daughter’s.
The true collectors item this year is the 2014 Drink In Peace Merlot. On it, a hand-etched, glow-in-the-dark skeleton holds a wine bottle across its chest. It even comes packaged in a coffin box.
And then there’s the 2013 Black Moon Cabernet Sauvignon. Available only in magnums, it’s already sold out and therefore as rare as an actual black moon (defined as an additional new moon that appears in a month or in a season, or the absence of a full moon or of a new moon in a month).
Skateboard artist Dennis McNett’s illustration depicts the phases of the moon surrounded by bats, which Komes said are regulars in the steeple of the ghost winery. The art is etched and hand painted on the bottle.
The new ghost tour
Those who want to taste the Halloween wines can reserve a tasting at The Room, Flora Springs’ St. Helena tasting room, but this year, the winery is taking their celebrations to a new level of creep with a ghost tour. Flora Springs has teamed up with Napa City Ghosts & Legends to lead a paranormal tour of the ghost winery and estate on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m.
Komes said he was always curious if the ghost winery was haunted and that Napa City Ghosts have since identified three spirits during their recent visits. There’s Matthew, who supposedly died in a horse-related accident, a flapper who loves to party, and another man who gave off a particularly unsettling vibe.
Let’s hope he’s not in the mood for socializing that day.
For more information on Flora Springs’ Halloween tastings and ghost tour, visit www.florasprings.com/events.
Helpful Links:
Visit The Room | Visit The Estate
Ghost Winery Tasting at The Room
Paranormal Ghost Winery Tour at The Estate
Our Ghost Winery History
Halloween Wines
Ghost Winery Malbec
2014 Drink In Peace Merlot
2013 Black Moon Cabernet Sauvignon
