My wine-loving friend Len Walther and I brainstormed on what wines to pair with different Halloween candies. We did our best to remember the pairing guideline of having the wine in a particular combination be sweeter than the dessert. The problem is that coupling overly sweet candy with even sweeter wine is a bit scary. I guess that’s appropriate for Halloween ☺
Just like pairing wine with Girl Scout Cookies, this topic shouldn’t be taken too seriously. In fact, it shouldn’t be taken seriously at all.
Here is what we came up with. Right now, these suggestions are purely theoretical. We haven’t tried any of them. I am going to do my best to try at least some of them within the next few weeks. If I discover an amazing or awful pairing, I will let you know. Likewise, if you discover an amazing or awful pairing, please let us know.
| Candy | Wine | Notes |
| Tootsie Roll | Merlot or Grenache | These combination sound like fairly easy ones. |
| Hershey’s Milk Chocolate | Tawny Port | Hellovino.com says that this wine, “with baking spice, almond, & caramel is a match.” |
| Candy Corn | Low to no oak Chardonnay | Len refuses to try this candy with any wine. I’m going to bet on Chardonnay, although I’m not very enthusiastic. |
| M&Ms | Merlot or Grenache | Again, these combinations sound like fairly easy ones. |
| Baby Ruth | Syrah, Cabernet or Muscat | The reds would give depth. The Muscat would take the sweetness up a notch. |
| Butterfinger, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Snickers and other peanut/peanut butter bars | Riesling (ideally with noble rot), Chenin Blanc, Marsanne or Rousanne, Orange Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet or Late Harvest Zinfandel | These are Len’s recommendations. I’m eager to try them. |
| Three Musketeers | Syrah, Cabernet or Muscat | I think this bar’s sweetness and creaminess require something heavy and serious. Len is pushing for the sweet on sweet. |
| Kit Kat | Tempranillo or Gamay (not Gamay Beaujolais) | Our best guesses. |
| Junior Mints | Dolcetto or Port | These are the wines that we found paired best with Girl Scout Thin Mints. |
| Almond Joy | Viognier, Semillon or Muscat | Viognier often has almond notes. The others should work well too. |
I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve tried any wine and candy combinations.
Cheers!
As an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, I absolutely enjoy bringing a taste of the Napa wine country home to you one sip at a time. Whether you simply love to drink wine, seek a special personalized wine gift, or are in search of a new wine jobs opportunity as a wine consultant, feel free to contact me for a truly unique wine tasting experience!
Cheers,
Betty Kaufman, WineShop At Home
4 comments
I say skip the Halloween candy and just go with wine. It has to be healthier. 🙂
I’m with you on that one!!!
You are so creative! this is so fun! I wish I had all those wines here at home to try tonight…I bet I could get Warren to try some of these with the candy! The only wine I have right now is Pinot Noir so not sure which of the trick or treat candy I should try with that! will let you know if I discover anything worth sharing… : )
I can’t wait to hear what you come up with. Somehow I think of Pinot Noir as a very serious wine. So I don’t readily think of pairing it with candy. But who knows? 🙂