Treat or treat? How about treat and another treat? Yeah. That sounds more like it. These 12 Halloween candy and wine pairings are the perfect way to celebrate the end of spooky season. Let’s be honest: 2020 has tricked us enough. This year, instead of knocking door-to-door, you may be staying in with scary movies. Rather than a full-on costume, you may simply be working on a tricked out face mask for your spooky virtual happy hour. Even though your Halloween plans might look a bit different than normal, you can still celebrate with the candy you wait all year to enjoy. This Halloween, treat yourself to a glass of vino along with your favorite Halloween candy. Use this guide to help you uncover the perfect pairings.
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
We crave Reese’s pieces like vampires crave blood. Pair your peanut butter cups with a dark jammy red like Cabernet Sauvignon. The dark fruit flavors complement the nuttiness of the peanut butter, while notes of cocoa pair well with the chocolate.
Try pairing this Halloween favorite with a glass of Obscura Cabernet Sauvignon. This full-bodied red has flavor notes of raspberry, red currant, bing cherry, and a hint of warm brown baking spices.
2. Candy Corn
No Halloween night is complete without a handful of Candy Corn. Pair these sweet little treats with Chardonnay or a sweet white wine like Sauternes.
3. Hershey Bars & M&Ms
When it comes to melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate, go with a light- to medium-bodied fruity red like Pinot Noir and Merlot. The fruit notes in both of these wines pair well with gooey milk chocolate.
The perfect pairing for these Halloween candies is the Mise En Abyme Merlot. This wine has flavor notes of plum, cherry, white peppercorn, and herbal bay leaf.
4. Skittles
When it’s time to taste the rainbow, pour a glass of off-dry rosé. You could also go with a Sauvignon Blanc if you prefer a white wine.
The Ochavado Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect pairing with Skittles! This Spanish Sauv Blanc has ripe, juicy notes of peach, nectarine, and tangerine melded with classic citrus flavors.
5. Snickers & Milky Way
We’re not going here to comment on the great Snickers vs. Milky Way debate. We’ll simply say that both of these top notch chocolates pair well with tawny port since they both have a hint of caramel. If you’re all about Milky Way Midnight (that is, the dark chocolate variety), go with a ruby port.
6. Swedish Fish
If you hunt down Swedish Fish like you’re the shark from Jaws, go with a light-bodied red like Beaujolais. Thankfully, this light red wine is versatile enough to go with both sweet candies and milk chocolate.
7. Sour Patch Kids
It is scary how much we love Sour Patch Kids. When it comes to these mouth-puckering gummies, pour yourself a glass of off-dry Riesling to help mellow out the sourness.
8. Malted Milk Balls
These classic Halloween candies pair well with Petite Sirah. Full-bodied and bold, Petite Sirah can stand up to the malt flavor, plus it goes nicely with the milk chocolate shell.
Pair this Halloween treat with a glass of Bright Cellars first biodynamic wine, the Dark Turn Petite Sirah. The flavor notes of plum, black raspberry, blackberry, and spicy black pepper will go perfectly with the malted milk chocolate.
9. Starburst
Whether you start with all the pinks or all the reds (sorry orange lovers…), pair Starburst candies with a slightly sweet and slightly fizzy Moscato d’Asti. This white wine brings out the best in every flavor.
10. York Peppermint Patty
Rich chocolate and cool mint pair well with Shiraz, a bold red wine with notes of milk chocolate and plum.
For this Halloween candy pairing go with a glass of Bushtelly Shiraz. This Australian red wine has flavor notes of raspberry, plum, blackberry, and smoky campfire.
11. Jolly Ranchers
If you’re all about these hard candies, go with a sparkling wine like Prosecco. While Prosecco is typically made in a dry style, its bright fruit flavors make it seem sweeter than it is.
12. Kit Kat Bar
Finally, no Halloween night would be complete without breaking off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar. These milk chocolate covered wafers pair well with Pinot Noir or Merlot.
