Halloween Candy & Wine Pairings

Whether you get trick-or-treaters, it’s the time of year to have a delicious bowl of sweets and treats in your home. As wine lovers, we are intrigued by the challenges and delights of pairing fine wines with these morsels. Rather than tell you what wine to have with your fun size Snickers bar, however, we’re making recommendations based on candy components. Whether you want to lean into the nuances of nougat or the complexities of caramel, there’s a wine that will suit you!

With Peanuts - Cielo Viola

For anyone reaching for the coveted Reese pumpkins or the salty-sweet of a Snickers, we recommend enjoying this nuttiness alongside the balanced nature of Cielo Viola. Our Cielo offers enough rich fruit to harmonize with the peanuts (like PB & J) and just enough tannin to moderate the sweetness. 

With Mellocreme - Chardonnay

Love it or hate it, candy corn and other mellocreme delights are a part of the season. If you have a soft spot for this polarizing candy, you are not alone! It’s sweet as can be, and sometimes that’s what you need. We enjoy this alongside the light creamy notes of our Reserve Chardonnay

With Nougat - Sparkling

Nougat offers a satisfying bite with a balance between chewy and smooth. Whether you’re enjoying a rich Milky Way or the fluffy nougat in a 3 Musketeers, you can appreciate the addition of a glass of Sparkling Wine. It’s fun, plain and simple!

With Caramel - Zinfandel

From Rolos to Twix to homemade confections, caramel deserves its established presence in the candy world. We appreciate the plummy, jammy tones of a good Zinfandel alongside caramels of all kinds, especially handcrafted. 

With Milk Chocolate - Cuvée Dray

For the chocolate lovers out there, the world of wine is open to you! When it comes to specific pairings, however, this one shines. Our Cuvée Dray is both flavorful and approachable, with enough body to stand up to some sweetness. 

Toffee - Petite Sirah

The caramelized, buttery profile of crisp English toffee is a delight to the palate and tastes almost nostalgic. A classic like this comfortably joins an underappreciated classic like Petite Sirah. Enjoy the interplay of toffee and this wine’s rich dark notes.

Dark Chocolate - Cabernet Sauvignon

A truly quintessential conversation if ever there was one! Cabernet and dark chocolate together offer bold flavors, parallel profiles of tannin and cocoa, and full-bodied enjoyment. Both our Jewel Collection and Reserve Collection Cabernets offer this juicy delight. 

Fruity Candy - Grapeful Rosé

We love the fun fruity flavors of hard candies like jolly ranchers as well as the chewier varieties like skittles and starburst. These are all delightful with a crisp glass of our vibrant Grapeful Rose, which offers bright flavor and fun complexity to these pairings. 

Trick or treat! Happy Halloween from Ruby Hill.