Many of us are fascinated with ghost stories, true crime, and other spooky things — and that fascination often expands to maximum capacity during the fall season. So if you are looking for the perfect bottle of wine to curl up and watch some horror movies with this season, then we found just the thing!
19 Crimes is an Australian wine brand that features stories of real-life people sent to prison colonies in the 19th century.
The brand, which is owned by Treasury Wine Estates, features a convict and his or her story on each label — making it perfect for Halloween fanatics and history buffs alike!
According to the company's website:
"It’s the Industrial Revolution, people were increasingly moving to cities, prisons were overcrowded, and petty crime was on the rise. After the Revolution of 1776 prevented transportation to America, Queen Victoria decided banishment to Australia would solve these problems.
Between 1788 and 1868, 165,000 convicts made the long voyage by sea to Australia. Times were tough for criminals, but these individuals were tougher. They survived the boat ride and the exile. Now their stories survive into the 21st century with 19 Crimes."
In addition to the labels, there are also 19 different corks. Each one lists a different crime a person could commit to be sentenced to "Punishment by Transportation." A few examples of these crimes were grand larceny, assault with an intent to rob and bigamy.
The wines are available everywhere, from Trader Joe's to your corner liquor store.
You can use the company's store locator to figure out the closest retailer, but they are also available to purchase online.
19 Crimes offers a hard chardonnay, a cabernet sauvignon, a shiraz, and several blends.
But, perhaps the biggest draw to this unusual wine concept, is the fact that you can use an app to allow the convicts to talk to you!
Using augmented reality, the labels allow each of the prisoners featured to tell their own story (almost literally). All you have to do is download the free app (for iOS and Android), point your phone at the bottle, and you get a front row ticket to a haunting story time.
Check out this video to see how it works!
These are sure to take your Halloween party or scary movie night to a whole new level!
