Halloween is upon us, and autumn, my favorite time of the year, inspires thoughts of moody evenings spent reading melancholic greats like Poe, Shelley, Lovecraft. Dark storytellers with an eye for beauty, many of these poets and novelists were also fans of fine wine and spirits—of course in some cases, to dramatic ends. In the spirit of the season, here are a few of my favorite scribes, their most macabre stories, and their own— or their characters’—connection to wine:

Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray/1890): Dorian Gray tells the tale of a debauched, handsome young man who is somehow able to retain his youth, but whose painted portrait reveals his inner ugliness—in the form of disfigurement and aging—to all. Regarding wine, Wilde himself was a well-known glutton for luxury and loved Perrier-Jouet Champagne; Gray seemed to prefer the same type of sip, as is referenced in the novel: “My dear Basil, how do I know?” murmured Dorian Gray, sipping some pale-yellow wine from a delicate, gold-beaded bubble of Venetian glass and looking dreadfully bored.

Mary Shelley (Frankenstein/1818): Just 19 when the book was published, Shelley wrote the novel based on a “dream vision” she had and on evenings of horror storytelling shared with the poets Percy Shelley and Lord Byron in Europe. Shelley herself, though a conservative drinker, enjoyed French wine and the sweet dessert wines popular during the era. Her husband frequently imbibed red wine mixed with laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol), which was commonly prescribed by doctors of the day for ailments or “relaxing.”

J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Carmilla;1872) This novella written by Irish ghost/horror writer Le Fanu is set in rural Styria (Austria) and follows the story of a young woman who falls prey to the wiles of a female vampire named Carmilla. Wine is referenced in the story as a health fortifier—a common use in the past dating back to ancient times:
“You look ill, Carmilla; a little faint. You certainly must take some wine,” I said.
“Yes. I will. I’m better now. I shall be quite well in a few minutes. Yes, do give me a little wine,” answered Carmilla, as we approached the door.

Edgar Allan Poe (The Raven/1845; The Black Cat/1843). Brilliant but tortured, Poe favored wine and spirits to the degree that alcohol would, among other ailments, contribute to his unfortunate and untimely demise. The author was known to take Port and Madeira, as well as whisky and mint juleps. He also drank ale—which sometimes constituted his sole food intake during his binges.

Tell us about your own favorite authors of the macabre . . . and the wine and spirits they fancied.

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