Super 7: Sommelier-Approved Wines To Pair With Halloween Candy. (Even Candy Corn.)
I smell wine and candy
It’s that time of year again, where you innocently walk into Walgreen’s to pick up a toenail clipper and somehow walk out with 60 Fun Size Almond Joys. No judgment. But if you’re looking for something to do with your Halloween candy other than mindlessly scarfing it in front of Nobody Wants This, or just want to class up your Halloween party, pair your candy bars with fine wines.
Silly, you say? You won’t be saying that when you taste the explosion of flavor that is Skittles with a nice sauv blanc. Or experience the richness of Reese’s and a Napa Cab. Catch & Cut wine director and certified sommelier Stephan Cole walked us through the best wines to pair with seven popular Halloween candies. And candy corn, too, if you like that kinda stuff.
M&M’s
Paired With: 2022 J Vineyard Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: The pinot noir’s classic notes of cherry bring out the similar notes in the milk chocolate. Along the same lines, this fuller-bodied Pinot also gives a heftier mouth feel to the offset crispy, candy-coated candies.
Peanut M&Ms
Paired with: 2020 Etude Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: This richer, deeper pinot noir picks up the nutty notes in the Peanut M&Ms, giving highlights to the sweetness in the milk chocolate and candy coating.
Almond Joy
Paired with: Penfolds Grandfather 20 Year Tawny Port
Tasting Notes: The 20 Year Tawny port picks up the almond and hazelnut flavors first, and its tropical flavors are perfect for the coconut inside.
Skittles
Paired with: 2024 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc
Tasting Notes: The official wine of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is usually an automatic with stone crabs. But hold onto it for your Skittles dessert, as the acidity and the citrus in the wine do well to complement the tastes of the rainbow. It’s a complex fruit bomb that’ll be the hit of your Halloween party.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Paired with: 2020 The Calling Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting notes: The rich, deep Napa cab has strong notes of blackberry and raspberry, with a touch of oak that brings out the richness in the peanut butter and the milk chocolate.
KitKat
Paired with: Briada Moscato d’Asti Vigna Senza nome; G.H. Mumm rose champagne
Tasting notes: A Kit and a Kat, here, if you will, as our somm offered a couple of different pairing options. First is a Moscato from Italy, whose sweetness does well to complement the crunchy wafer center of the KitKat. For a little more balance, go with the more-acidic G.H. Mumm rose champagne, whose citrus notes brighten up the strong chocolate flavors.
Snickers
Paired with: 2019 Meeker Cab Franc; 2020 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes
Tasting notes: The cab franc cuts through the richness of the chocolate, giving it a little acidity and balance. But if you’re more into sweet stuff, the French wine’s sweetness carries through the caramel and the chocolate for a purely decadent dessert.
Candy Corn
Paired with: 2022 Martinelli Chardonnay; 2023 Maison Les Alexandris
Tasting notes: Cole admitted he, like many, would rather eat dirt than candy corn. But if you’re in the candy corn camp, the Sonoma chardonnay’s rich, buttery flavors add some tropical notes, which picks up the candy corn’s sugar. The Rhone Valley wine has similar notes to the chardonnay, with five different grape varietals. Either way, there’s a lot of sugar going on here, so plan your November 1st accordingly.