Maybe your kids recently went out in a silly outfit and came back with a mountain of candy. Perhaps you overestimated the number of trick-or-treaters you thought would come to your door and have picked at that bowl of sweets all week. Either way, it’s time to finish them off this weekend, grown-up style. Invite some friends over and pair Halloween treats with a few great bottles of wine. Here, my favorite three candy and vino pairings:
1. Kids tend to inhale milk chocolate or cookies-and-cream mini bars and leave behind the dark chocolate pieces. For more mature palates, dark chocolate pairs perfectly with a Giribaldi Caj Barbera d’Alba. Rarely does a pairing elevate both the wine and the food but in this case, the chocolate and wine sung together in perfect harmony. $20, available at Lucky’s Market in Ellisville 2. Sometimes you get those overly sweet-sour candies everyone hates (I’m looking at you, Nerds.). These silly candies go great with a somewhat tart frizzante wine – I recommend finding a bottle of vinho verde. The Aveleda Casal Garcia Branco vinho verde has slight fizz and sweetness and a tart finish that perfectly complements a box of crunchy little Nerds. $8, available at Randall’s Wine & Spirits in St. Louis 3. OK, technically, caramel apples aren’t candy, but this treat is everywhere right now. While I love apples, I wasn’t a huge fan of this dessert until someone convinced me to try it with an oloroso sherry. It worked beautifully. The nuttiness in a bottle of Lustau Don Nuno oloroso will highlight the complexity in the caramel, and the acidity will match well with the apple. $30, available at Starrs Ben Wood has more than 10 years experience in the wine industry. He currently works as shop manager of Cork & Rind.
This article appears in November 2015.