What wine comes to mind on Halloween?
It’s one of those holidays when we let the inner child out and indulge ourselves with limitless sweet treats.
Halloween Candy and Wine Pairing
According to Candy Store, the largest candy retailer in the United States, the top 10 most popular Halloween treats are Reese’s Cups, Skittles, M&M’s, Starburst, Hot Tamales, Sour Patch Kids, Hershey Kisses, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Candy corn.
Pairing Trick-or-Treat
Pairing candy with wines is true Trick-or-Treat because sugar-rich foods are notoriously wine-unfriendly, and it’s easier to say what wines to avoid.
The wine lovers darlings like classic Bishop’s Ring Cabernet Sauvignon Napa or buttery Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay can be easily tricked by Halloween treats that will make Cabernet taste bitter and Chardonnay sour.
Still, not all lost, and a lot depends on your favorite candy. The list is dominated by nutty-chocolaty and fruity flavors. While still trick-or-treat pairing situation, there are some excellent options to explore there.
Pairing Wine with Fruity Candy
For example, bubbles like Sonoma-Cutrer Grand Cuvée Brut, Domaine Carneros Brut Rose, or Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc can turn Sour Patches and Starburst sour tricks into tasty treats.
Another good option is Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or Sancerre of France. Also, off-dry Rieslings like 2013 Nikolaihof Wachau Guts can take you on an exciting flavor ride and help you discover “the dark side” of the familiar candy.
Pairing Wine with Chocolate Candy
Fruity and juicy red wines are your best bets with chocolate-based candies. Saldo Zinfandel is an excellent example of wine that can withstand the sweetness and richness of Snickers and Milky Way.
While Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and Amavi Syrah hardly have a chance with those two, it can complement bitter-sweet chocolate and even Hershey Kisses and bars.
Beaujolais Nouveau’s banana and bubble gum flavors can replace Halloween candy altogether or pair with Starburst, Skittles, and M&M’s.
Treat-not-Trick Every Time
We seldom eat candy, but when we do, it must be with dessert wine. Over the years, dessert wines got a bad wrap, no thanks to cheap sugary impersonations of true wine gems with centuries-old history.
Have you ever had Toro Alba PX (Pedro Ximénez) with Snickers? It’s a haven because this Sherry goes toe-to-toe with all the Snickers flavors: sweet, salty, caramel, and nutty! It’s the sweetest type of Sherry that always aged in decades and sometimes centuries-old barrels. How about a sip of pirate history on Halloween?!
You can dress like Napoleon, but have you ever drank one? Not until you’ve tried Vin de Constance, the South African dessert wine made since the 17th century. In Napoleon’s time, Vin de Constance was found only in the cellars and on the tables of royal and most noble families of Europe.
Try it with your favorite candy, and let us know if you felt like Napoleon with a lollipop in hand.
Another dessert wine that gonna treat you on Halloween is Sauternes. This classic dessert wine comes from Bordeaux. Yes, that Bordeaux.
Sauternes is similar to Vin de Constance and can turn an ordinary fruit candy into a special treat.
We would recommend Amaro, the Italian aperitif, with chocolaty-nutty candies like Reese’s, Snickers, and others for the adventurous wine swingers. Pecan Tart and Amaro’s pairing convinced us that it’s one of the best options when caramel and nuts are involved.
We would love to hear about your wine-swinging Halloween adventures. Please share your favorite candy and wine combinations in the comments below, and follow us for more wine pairing adventures.
