Just in time for Halloween, The Harris Sisters have yet another Covid-19-friendly Halloween option for you to try. How about a virtual or socially distanced wine and Halloween candy pairing this year?- for the over-21 crowd, that is... On our recent Girls' Weekend getaway trip, we did just that. We sampled a mix of five wines with an even bigger selection of popular Halloween candy, and we offer our feedback on the pairings below. Read on for all the details on these surprising and sometimes frightful combinations.
Getting Started
Whether you are looking to pair a few candies with one good bottle of wine, or like we did, try several different combinations, your first step is finding a good list to provide you with great wine and candy matches. We used the Candy and Wine Matchmaker list from shoptipsy.com/blog. There are a number of others out there available for you to try. Or use our notes below to try the pairs that we tried and see how you like them.
Sweet White Wine Pairings
For this pairing, we chose to use Moscato as our wine, but you could also choose a varietal like Malvasia or Riesling, depending on your preference. This wine is said to pair well with Candy Corn, Skittles, Starburst, and Hershey's Milk Chocolate. After sampling all these pairings, we all agreed that Starburst and Moscato, as well as Hershey's Milk Chocolate and Moscato, make excellent pairs. We agreed less on the other two pairings. Misty liked the Candy Corn when paired with Moscato. Donna did not, and I was completely undecided after the tasting, so the jury is still out on that one. And both Donna and I agreed that Skittles and Moscato make a tasty pair. Misty was less sold on this combination, but we all agreed that it could definitely depend on which flavor(s) of Skittles you are pairing with your wine.
Rich White Wine Pairings
We chose to use Chardonnay for the rich white wine pairing, but you could also use Marsanne or Viognier instead. This time, we sampled Candy Corn, Hershey's Milk Chocolate, and Butterfinger with our Chardonnay. And this time we were completely in agreement. The Harris Sisters give both the Butterfinger and Hershey's Milk Chocolate a thumb's up when paired with Chardonnay. And we gave the Candy Corn pairing a resounding MEH- this was neither great nor awful- just somewhere in between.
Sparkling Wine Pairings
For these pairings, we used Prosecco, but you could certainly also choose a Sparkling Rose or Champagne instead. I should preface this particular review by saying that Harris Sister Misty is not a fan of sparkling wine in general. Having said that, she was also not a fan of any of these pairings. We sampled the Prosecco with Candy Corn, Nerds, Kit Kat, and Almond Joy. And both Donna and I enjoyed all of those pairings. But the pair of Almond Joy and Prosecco was a surprise in that it topped both of our lists, and I personally would not have predicted that one. Trust me though, it was a winner!
Medium Red Wine Pairings
We chose a Red Table Wine for this pairing, but most Red Blends or a Merlot would work here as well. The medium reds are said to pair well with Kit Kat, Snickers, and Hershey's Milk Chocolate. We all agreed that Snickers and Kit Kat paired extremely well with the Red Table Wine. We were more divided on the Hershey's Milk Chocolate pair. While Donna and I enjoyed it together, Misty did not. But both Donna and Misty pointed out that I eat Kit Kat wrong. I didn't know there was a right way. They both break off one bar and eat from that. I don't break it. I just bite it across the top. Let me tell you, they were deeply disturbed.
Bold Red Wine Pairings
For this final set of pairings, we used Cabernet Sauvignon, but you could also try a Malbec or Syrah if you prefer. We paired the Cab with Snickers, Reese's, and Twix. Harris Sister Misty did not enjoy any of these pairings, but she also typically does not enjoy bold red wines. Both Donna and I agreed that the Snickers and Reese's paired with the Cab were among the best pairings of the night. However, the Twix definitely did not measure up. On a related note, Misty and Donna were once again disturbed to learn that I don't love Reese's. In fact, I would say I really don't like it at all. I would never seek out a Reese's; however, when paired with the Cab, it was off the charts good. Maybe that's what it's been missing for me all this time.
So there you have it. The Harris Sisters are nothing if not committed to in-depth research involving wine and candy. Feel free to call on us if you decide to host your own pairing, and from all of us to all of you, Happy Hallo-WINE!
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