What Wine to Pair with Your Halloween Candy

When celebrating the holidays, it is our first inclination as adults to go for "adult drinks". Holidays such as Christmas and Halloween have all sorts of sugary mixed drinks that can be made to celebrate the holiday. While it may be nice to enjoy an orange and green mixed cocktail with four fruit flavors during a swinging Halloween party, that is just too much sugary goodness to enjoy during the after party candy snack fest.

So, what exactly does pair well with the multitude of sugary treats that you will undoubtedly get your hands on by the end of the night? Generally, it is best to pair super sugary foods with something more bitter like Halloween wine. That is precisely why certain wines may pair better with certain types of candies. What it all boils down to is just what your Halloween candies are made up of.

Some of our favorite Halloween candies as adults are likely to be dark chocolate based. While we may not truly appreciate the more bitter richness of dark chocolate as children, that does not mean the same for adults above the age of 21. There is a rule of thumb dark chocolate, in that it is well known to be paired best with a dark wine such as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The two are bitter and just barely sweet enough to belong together in neutral bliss.

Sparkling wine and milk chocolate go as well together as a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Milk chocolate has that sweetness that is fun and friendly for even the staunchest of cocoa fans. Sparkling wine fits that bubbly sense of fun and friendliness with a light and fruity flavor. Light fruit is something that pairs wonderfully with milk chocolate.

Sherry and white chocolate pair nicely for a similar reason as milk chocolate and sparkling wine. Fortified from white grapes, white chocolate based candies are a sublime pairing. Truly a match made in Halloween heaven.

Not everyone can appreciate the subtle hints of natural nuttiness that a dark Italian wine such as Brunello di Montalcino presents the palate. Pair it with peanut based treats and you will see no stark difference in taste yourself.

Rosé is already considered a fabulous dessert wine. Pairing it with sugar based snacks, such as gummy works drenched in pure sugar cane, will leave the palate refreshed and in sweet, sweet harmony.

Mint based candies may be the most difficult to pair fairly. When in doubt, go light. Vermentino is light enough that it does not overwhelm anything minty one way or the other, but rather allows the mint to be the dominant flavor of the palate without issue.