Tis the season for tricks and treats (plus snow and bitter cold if you are in Colorado), so let’s chat wine and candy pairings. I know you are wondering, wait…why would anyone like to pair wine with candy??? Well, if you have little ghouls or under four-foot tall firemen, or have packs of witches and wizards ringing your doorbell, a little bit of wine with the All Hallow’s Eve treats might be just the trick you need to survive the night!
Now I normally suggest pairing your sweet desserts with wines as sweet or sweeter than your dessert (sugar interferes with how the wine interacts with your palate.) When you combine sugar with a dry wine, especially ones with tannins, the sugar turns those tannins astringent with an unpleasant bitter taste. So, aim for wines that are more fruit forward (or that “sweet” taste you may detect when tasting wines but that is actually not residual sugar) and that don’t have tons of time in oak, especially American oak barrels.
This blog is not going to make recommendations about specific wines but will be more focused on styles of wine that would pair best with sweets we would consider “treats.” No tricks here!
So, let’s start with Mandy’s favorite treat (she would declare it a trick), candy corn. Now, certainly a hot topic of debate in terms of deliciousness (I fall into that category), candy corn resembles the German almond paste treat, marzipan. My favorite way to have candy corn is mixed with butter popcorn and salted peanuts. The fat from the peanuts and butter, combined with the salt, cut through the thick sweetness of the candy corn. Combine that with the effervesence of the wine and the popping acidity of a standard traditional method sparkling wine? That is almost perfection. I certainly suggest those sparkling wines that present tropical fruit and bright acidity…so perhaps not Champagne. Save that wine for your fancy cheeses and bread pairings!
Don’t like the bubbles but love the corn? Pair it with a favorite Chardonnay (especially if they are known for their butter profiles). Love Chards but not the corn? Try your favorite oaked Chard with caramels (green apple caramels are even better!)
Another popular treat this time of year are all the chocolate-based candy bars…whether it is an issue of your chocolate winding up in my peanut butter, or your peanut butter winding up in my chocolate, the standard combination of chocolate with nougat, peanut butter, peanuts, caramel, or salt definitely provides some fun opportunities in terms of wine pairings. We’ll look to pair fruit forward Zinfandels, Merlots, and Cab Sauvs with the traditional dark chocolate pairings while exploring the nuance of these wines against the fatty sweetness of chocolate and peanut butter, as well as red fruit infused dark chocolates. We are looking for a velvet or smooth texture from a wine to balance the fat and tannins from a peanut/caramel-based chocolate sort of candy. So, avoid the tannins bombs made famous by Napa Valley or the funky Cab Franc based Bordeaux wines. Instead, find those deep fruited reds or lighter reds such as Gamay or light Pinot Noir. Try a Beaujolais with M&M’s or other milk chocolate choices or a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir with a Butterfinger.
I also love the minty delight of a Peppermint Patty but these little treats can be difficult to pair. Look for a smoky, blackberry jam Shiraz to balance the cool notes of mint and dark chocolate…or ditch the cool sensation from Peter Paul, and simply pair Shiraz with your favorite dark chocolate.
For those who prefer less dry wines (A-Rod, I am looking at you) and perhaps the fruity, sour profiles of certain candies like Skittles or Starburst, consider opting for those wines that marry those kinds of notes: a demi-sec Prosecco or off-dry Riesling are great places to start when considering fruit-based candies. For a fun Halloween twist, drop a Jolly Rancher into your Prosecco and enjoy both while you sip!
The fruit section of your Halloween haul are also great with those rosés that burst with red fruit and Jolly Rancher notes so if off-dry or semi-dec wines aren’t your jam but Starburst are, pair those fruity treats with your favorite rosé.
Perhaps you don’t like dry wines at all and are more interested in actual dessert wines. If you enjoy a Sauternes, pair it with a Payday or Snickers. I love Madeira and will actually share a dry 1999 Madeira with Mandy and Co. and we will explore how a Snickers pairs with this fortified dessert wine. *Narrator: It pairs with all the treats quite well.* Other great dessert wines that naturally pair with Halloween’s treats are Ruby Ports (do try that with Snickers, too) and Oloroso Sherry (especially nice with any peanut butter-based choices.)
Or, if sweets just aren’t your thing, pair your favorite wine with the laughter of children roaming the neighborhood to the backdrop of MJ’s “Thriller.” Happy Halloween!
Still not in the mood yet for the holidays? Join me in the month of November for a thirty day gratitude challenge or in person on 19 November at The Wine Gallery as I offer two holiday wine and food pairing classes.
twy
the wine yogi 