27 Jun Nothing scary about pairing Halloween candy with wine. Here are some tasty combinations!

Want to make next Tuesday evening’s festivities even more festive?  Try setting aside some of that Halloween candy, which you know you will do anyway, and pairing it with….wine!

Some wine/candy pairings work remarkably well.  Some don’t.  At Pat The Wine Guy, we decided to take one for the team and try several combinations.

We’ve been testing reds, whites, and sparklers with some of the most popular Halloween candies.   Here are our findings:

Zinfandel and M&M’s

Any decent zin in the $15 range will work here.  The zinfandel doesn’t make the M&M’s better.  But the M&M’s do a great job of taking any hard edges off the zin.

Sparkling wine and Kit Kats

These two share an interesting thing in common:  air.  The Kit Kat wafers are “airy” and, of course, the bubbly is a virtual air show.  Air on air, with sweetness coming from both components, works well.

Pinot Noir and Reese’s Cups

The key here is to find a pinot that’s fruity, not earthy.  It will better compliment the two dominant Reese’s flavors, chocolate and peanut butter.

Other combos to try…

Candy Corn and Chardonnay

Is there a more polarizing Halloween treat than candy corn?  Some like it.  Others loathe it.  Try candy corn with a “clean” chardonnay, one that isn’t dominated by oak.  You haters might change your minds.

Sparkling wine and Sour Patch Kids

Tart (Sour Patch Kids) and sweet (sparkling wine).  Watch out.  For some, this combo goes down easy.  Way too easy.

And the ultimate candy/wine pairing:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Dark Chocolate

Not your grocery-store variety dark chocolate.  Pay a little more and get the good stuff.  Pair it with a mature California Cab.  Now we’re talkin’!

Happy pairings and Happy Halloween!