Pairing Wine and Halloween Candy

Pairing wine with Halloween snacks can be a little tricky.

Chocolate generally goes with sweeter or richer reds such as shiraz or port. Milk chocolate and candy bars can also be a little sweeter than fine chocolate and generally need wines that are fruity, have a bit of oak influence and aren’t too heavy on the tannins. tannic. 

Some Halloween candy just does not go with anything. In particular, these are the types of candies that are basically just 100% sugar pressed into a pumpkin-like shape. They just don’t pair with wine — so don’t say I didn’t warn you! Sparkling wines can be a unexpected match, occasionally. I would suggest drier styles such as brut Champagne or even a lean, crisp cava or prosecco.

If you are looking to pair some wine with Halloween candy, here is a little guide to an ideal wine and candy tasting.

Kit Kat

This bar is the perfect blend of wafer and chocolate, though it’s hard for me to enjoy one a without the "give me a break" jingle running through my head. For wine pairings, richer, lusher reds are the order of the day. California cabernets or Australian shiraz are good picks. Look for one with red fruit, slight tannins and some hefty oak flavours. If red wine seems too easy a match, you can always try some Spanish cava or toasty champagne.

Glosette Raisins

These are a Canadian classic produced by Hershey Canada. Some might prefer the chocolate-covered peanuts, but when it comes to pairing with wine, it has to be the raisins. Raisins often pair best with wines such as Beaujolais or grenache and fortified wines such as Madeira or tawny port. Follow your heart here, but my vote is for the fortified wine so you can toggle your candy intake between the peanut or raisin flavour offerings of Glosette.

Skittles

Taste the rainbow, indeed! The original flavours in the red package are sweet and each colour has their own flavour (purple is a flavour, right?) though I’m more of a mixer when it comes to Skittles. This is an example of candy that really doesn’t pair that well with wine. You could try to match a wine to each flavour of this candy, but with the citrus flavours and abundant sugar, try matching the rainbow with a citric sauvignon blanc or an off-dry moscato d asti.

Skor and Snickers

Snickers does satisfy, especially if you're craving chocolate, caramel and peanuts. Bet you didn’t know the candy bar was named after a horse! As for Skor bars, these have butter toffee wrapped in chocolate, with a nice crunch factor. Toffee and chocolate are easy pairings with tawny ports, muscat, sherry and sweet rieslings. Try an oloroso sherry or one with a little sugar such as a cream sherry. If you'd prefer a red, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz are good bets. Or try beer, paring either of these with a pint of Guinness may just blow your mind.

Milk Chocolate

Pairing wine with milk chocolate is a little different from pairing wine with a dark or bitter chocolate. Try wines with a little acidity and some sweetness, like a New World gewürztraminer. Moscato d`asti, tawny port or tokaji all work well, too. American zinfandel or Australian shiraz also pair well because they're generally oakier examples of these varietals. When in doubt though, beer such as lagers or ales can be a great match with milk chocolate.

Twizzlers

Strawberry flavoured goodness! The only time I eat Twizzlers seems to be at the movies or on Halloween. And while there are other flavours, strawberry is the only one for me. Twizzlers are certified Kosher and suitable for vegans. To pair this treat with wine, you can either try to match up the strawberry flavours with the summer fruit notes typically found in rosé, but I like to go with the classic match of Champagne and strawberries instead. Sparkling wine also works and something like a cava or new world sparkler should be a little easier on the wallet.

Find a different or better match or a pairing we didn’t cover? Let us know and we'll investigate. See you at the dentist!