Whether you’re sneaking a sweet or two from your kids’ Easter baskets or caving as you pass by the Target Easter candy aisle, pairing your Easter candy favorites with wine adds the right amount of “adult” to the equation.
If you’re not a huge sweets person, you can always put in a request with the Easter Bunny to receive a box of wine in place of a traditional Easter basket. (Hint: we’re the Adult Easter Bunny. Take the quiz to get your first Bright Cellars Box!)
From chocolate bunnies to jelly beans, we’re pairing our favorite Easter candy and wine for the perfect adult Easter basket.
Reese’ Peanut Butter Eggs & Pinot Noir
We won’t speak for everybody, but Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs may just be the Holy Grail of Easter candy. Sure, the Reese’ Peanut Butter Christmas Trees are cute, but for some reason, the egg shape just takes the classic peanut butter cup to the next level.
Pair this peanut buttery goodness with a Pinot Noir for some major PB&J energy. Our Sophonisba Pinot Noir offers the perfect red fruit flavors of raspberry and cherry for the jammy bit of the pairing. It also flaunts notes of vanilla from the oak aging, completing the flavor sandwich.
Peeps & Sparkling Wine
Before we dive into this pairing, we must first acknowledge the obvious fact that loving Peeps is not a casual affinity. It is a personality trait.
For those who enjoy this food color-infused, preservative-packed snack, we’re definitely giving you side eye, but we respect your Easter traditions.
Whether you’re team bunny Peeps or chicks, Peeps people have to stick together (except for those of you who like them stale… that’s where we draw the line of reason.)
If you love this controversially sweet candy, you’ll love the pairing we’ve got planned. Match the sweet bubbly energy with a sparkling wine. The bubbles will complement the fluffy marshmallow texture, and it’ll feel like a celebration. A strange, strange celebration.
Our Grand Reserve Stigma sparkling wine is primed and ready for the occasion!
Chocolate Bunny & Rosé
Perhaps the most popular and quintessential holiday candy, the Chocolate Bunny mixes childlike wonder with the simplicity of creamy milk chocolate.
Add some adult flair by pairing with an unexpected Rosé. Try a new-world Rosé - they tend to be more fruit-forward than old-world Rosés so they have a higher perceived sweetness!
Jelly Beans and Riesling
There’s nothing like waking up on Sunday morning and popping jelly beans of every color into your mouth.
For our Easter jelly bean fans, we recommend a Riesling. The sweet nature will complement most flavors without being overly sweet.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, we simply can’t recommend one wine for a pack of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. It would vary based on bean, and quite truthfully, we’d rather leave pairing Earwax and wine for another day.
Cadbury Crème Eggs & Oaked Chardonnay
Cadbury Crème eggs are an Easter classic! The challenge here is to find a wine that balances both the creamy, milky center and the chocolate exterior.
An oaked Chardonnay is buttery and smooth, which will complement the creamy interior of the egg without overpowering.
Whoppers Robin Eggs & Petite Syrah
These powder blue robin eggs are the best kind of malted milk ball.
Go with a Petite Syrah - it packs enough punch to stand up to the malted flavor and meshes seamlessly with the chocolate shell. We recommend our Dark Turn Petite Syrah! This wine is all dark fruit on the nose and palate, with notes of plum, blackberry, and black pepper especially prominent.
IN VINO FINITO
If you loved these adult Easter basket ideas, let us know in the comments! What’s your can’t-live-without Easter candy? For more easy-to-understand wine wisdom, fun pairings, and tasty recipes, subscribe to Glass Half Full.
