THURSTQUEEN PRESENTS: 5 SPOOKY WINE & CANDY PAIRINGS FOR HALLOWEEN 2021

I LOVE Halloween. It is probably one of my favorite holidays - barring 4/20 which probably comes at a close second.

I kid. I kid. Or do I? Anyway…. I figured a great way to celebrate this amazing holiday would be to give you, dear reader, some fabulously fun wine and candy pairings so you can indulge while passing out candy to trick or treaters.

Lez do dis.

WINE & CANDY PAIRING 1:

M&MS and MALBEC

M&Ms and Malbec are a great pairing. Think about it, Malbec has loads of cocoa, vanilla, and dark fruit aromas. (PERFECT WITH CHOCOLATE DUHHHH) If chocolate covered black cherries are your thing, you’ll probably experience something similar to that with an M&M/Malbec pairing.

There isn’t an insane amount of acid in Malbec, but just enough to temper the sweetness of milk chocolate yet balance out the M&Ms sugary, candy shell. Malbec has enough tannins to provide the wine with a relatively solid backbone, and the bitterness of the tannins will be balanced out by the M&Ms.

Malbec also explodes with fruit - and tons of alcohol so you’ll be having a very happy Halloween indeed.

WINE & CANDY PAIRING 2:

REECES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS and NERO D’AVOLA

Nero d’Avola is powerful, bold, and tannic. Yet with all the bells and whistles aside, this brooding red wine is still reasonably priced. Fans of other enormous and full-bodied varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon will be very happy with this pairing.

With significant herbal characteristics and a very strong earthen component to the wine, Nero is an excellent pairing with the slightly salty, earthy taste of peanut butter. PB&J fans, listen up: Nero d’Avola has aromas of blackberry jam - making it a Reeces Cup’s match made in heaven.

WINE & CANDY PAIRING 3:

SKITTLES and SAUVIGNON BLANC

Looking to dip into a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc this Hallow’s Eve? What better candy to go with all those tropical fruit flavors than Skittles? The crisp, racing acidity of Sauvignon Blanc cuts nicely through all that sugar and is sure to add a little bit of zing to those sweet little Skittles.

Sauvignon Blanc is a medium-bodied wine, with a nice and chalky mineral quality sure to go great with all those bright, citrusy Skittles flavors. If you’re into fruity desserts, definitely be sure to give this pairing a go and taste the rainbow this Halloween.

WINE & CANDY PAIRING 4:

BUTTERFINGER and CHARDONNAY

Remember how they say, “like attracts like,” in the wine pairing world? This principle definitely applies to the Butterfinger/Chardonnay pairing. What better wine to go with the flaky, buttery inside of a Butterfinger candy bar than a buttery and creamy glass of Chardonnay?

The crisp, green-apple acidity will also cut through that rich milk chocolate nicely, making this the perfect pairing for those who want to class it up and be a little extra this October 31st.

WINE & CANDY PAIRING 5:

BLOWPOPS and SCHIAVA

Please tell me that I’m not the only person who made my Blowpop a superhero when I was a kid…

Admittedly, sweeter candies like Skittles and Blowpops are just harder to pair with wine. I don’t know about you but there’s something about sugary candy and wine that can be a little much if not done right.

With all that in mind, Schiava is the perfect wine to pair with blowpops. This pleasantly light red wine from Alto Adige has aromas of cotton candy and bitter almonds. As crazy as that nose sounds, the wine itself is actually super chill. Schiava usually has a racing core of acidity and is fairly light in terms of body, so it won’t compete too much with all that bubble gum goodness.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Ile de Conas Rouge Souplesse $7.99 @ Trader Joe’s

There was something about this bottle that immediately caught my attention. It reminded me of an old Victorian haunted mansion and I thought this would be the perfect wine for Spooky Season. Then I saw the price tag on this puppy - $7.99 at Trader Joe’s and I absolutely HAD to try it.

This simple Vin de France is made in the passerillage method, and those who are fans of Valpolacella will know what I mean. Basically, the grapes are left to raisinate and dry out prior to being pressed, yielding a richer more concentrated wine.

I have a YUUUUGE soft spot for any sort of Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan blend and I have to say - this wine is extremely impressive as a sub $10.00 wine. As someone who worked as a distributor pricing wine, I think Trader Joe’s could get away with marking up this wine to at least $12-$14.

Picture aromas of ripe, juicy blackberry kissed with hoisin sauce and just a bit of allspice. There’s plenty of juicy berry and spice to this wine and lovers of Languedoc wines, Rhône wines and - interestingly enough - Amarone fans - will find this wine a delicious, affordable, weeknight wine. The alcohol percentage on bad boy this is 14.5 - so make sure you have it with something hearty. I think this wine would be stunning with Peking duck or Pad See Ew. Any soy based dish will be sure to be a nice salty contrast to the deliciously juicy blackberry aromas in this bargain-priced Vin de Pays.