Wine-derful Candy Pairings
Health trends are on the rise, and we are all looking at consuming the “best foods for us”. However, we are all human, and with that pesky mortality comes a desire to also enjoy the moment and sometimes let loose with what tastes good. That means indulging every once in a while in things like candy. But, sometimes busting into a pound bag of haribo gummy bears feels a little too much, so let’s take some principles of mindful drinking and put them to use. What can we do to elevate the candy experience and make it more thoughtful and less indulgent? What about adding a grown-up component to it so on Halloween when sitting around waiting for trick-or-treaters to come, you can have some fun with wine pairing?
While we often think of wine pairing for elegant foods like entrees, aperitivos, and desserts, the reality is, wine can be paired with any foodstuff to create a fun new and unique experience. Just like when we explored the concept around junk food wine pairings, here we explore the sweeter side of that concept: wine and candy pairings. And what better way than through the lens of one of the holidays most arguably associated with candy, Halloween!
“Trick or Treat!”
When we think of candy, especially when fall rolls around, one of the first things that comes to mind is Halloween and the tradition of trick or treating. While an American staple of fall, for those Europeans who are not familiar with the tradition, although it is gaining traction in Europe thanks to pop culture, “trick-or-treat” is a beloved tradition here in the US. America gears up in October for the eve of Halloween where children don costumes, travel throughout the neighborhood, and knock on doors to request candy and ogle at scary house decorations.
Its origins can be traced back to various ancient festivals though the ages, from Samhain to Guising to Souling. After all, the Catholic Feast of All Souls which falls on November 2nd is the day where Catholics remember their loved ones who passed away, with a similar holiday, All Saints, proceeding on Nov 1st. So the timing of Halloween is definitely ominous with thoughts of the dead ever present, at least among Catholics. Traditionally leading up to November 1st, people would adorn themselves with costumes and masks to ward off evil spirits or travel from door to door asking for food. However, as time went on, by the 1950s or so, this tradition more or less crossed the ocean from Europe to the US, making the tradition and holiday of Halloween as we know today, with a focus on sweets and costumes.
Looking at “Halloween” from a more modern eye, undoubtedly one of the more important aspects of trick or treating is candy. Children look forward to the variety of treats they will receive, from classic candies like chocolate bars and lollipops to now modern gummies or even others. In the leadup to Halloween, even adults look forward to the bulk bags of candy readily available.
What happens once the candy arrives home? While surely a lot of it is consumed on the drive or walk home, there is inevitably some that makes it back through our front doors. Or perhaps one wishes to enjoy post-holiday sales on those glorious bags of bulk sweets. Regardless of how the candy comes into one’s possession, whether “borrowed” from your kids or purchased deliberately, one of our favorite ways to enjoy leftover candy would be pairing it with wine.
Wine + Candy = Surprising Pairings
As a quick recap, let’s cover the basics of wine and food pairing. The key to food wine pairing is to break down both the food and wine into their basic characteristics, such as flavors, textures, intensities, and persistence. Then, learn which characteristics should be matched together as complements or as contrasts; ie sweet complementing sweet or acidity contrasting fattiness. For a fuller explanation, as we said, check out the previous article.
Even though food wine pairing does have guidelines and a technique, there are no hard and fast rules: the best pairings are the ones that you enjoy the most and find the most pleasurable. So don't be afraid to experiment and have fun with it.
A great way to do that is by looking at non-traditional foods and pairings. Let’s be honest… everybody pairs steak and Barolo and chardonnay with chicken. But try to find a wine to pair with a Snickers, or gummy bears? Now that will turn heads at your next gathering or make your next movie night that much more interesting.
As we mentioned before, there is one critical component of tasting that is especially pertinent when considering candy pairings, and that is residual sugar. See, sweetness in food goes well when matched with sweetness in wine. And just like this sweetness in candy comes from added sugars, the sweetness in wine comes from natural sugars. As we explained in our article about the role and impact of sugar in wine, it comes from residual sugar left over after fermentation has finished, whether purposely ended or simply the yeasts “got tired” of fermenting more alcohol and stopped, leaving a wine with extra natural sugars. Winemakers can choose how to leave this residual sugar, and also how much with decisions in their winemaking and harvesting.
When pairing it is important to consider the underlying flavors of the wines, like
are they more fruity?
and what fruits?
more acidic?
how much residual sugar?
Some wines that are appassito, or dried, can be very sweet with a lot of residual sugar, yet other wines that are simply very well ripened and more late harvest might have lower sugars, in a barely there type of sweetness. These are all considerations of pairing for intensity and flavors. It is important, too, to remember that the best sweet wines are not necessarily the overtly sweet wines; the best dessert wines can balance sugar and acidity or sapidity to help prevent a too sweet flavor. But, before diving into our candy pairing suggestions below, you can learn more about how to pair all sorts of foods with sweet wines in our previous article on the subject.
Which Candies with Which Wines?
We have grouped candies or halloween treats into a few larger categories, based upon general shared flavors or textures. So, if a particular treat isn’t specifically on the list, utilizing food pairing principles and looking at some of these options for the closest thing will still get you there. So, without further ado, dump out your pumpkin bucket and let’s get looking at your candy!
Chocolate Based Candies and Candy Bars
Chocolate is perhaps one of the most widespread and classic of any candy, maybe that is why wine and chocolate pairings are some of the most well known out there. There is also a wide range of possibilities, from luxurious and gourmet truffles, to simple square bars chocolate can impart different flavors and textures, and that is without getting into the candy bar selection. From nutty Snickers to creamy crunchy Twix to gooey Three Musketeers, or to flaky Butterfingers, there is pretty much a chocolate covered candy bar for every palate. Of course, we cannot forget how “chocolate covered”, well covers, just about every type of confection, from fruit to raisins, to espresso beans!
Candy Bars with Picolit and Perla Nera: Various candy bars can bring different textures or flavors, but we want something fairly intense and bold to help balance the complexity of a candy bar. Perla Nera with robust concentrated jammy flavors is great for this, but don’t underestimate the white Picolit. Made with botrytis grapes (like a sauternes) it will go great with saltier alternatives, like a Butterfinger or Snickers.
Chocolate and Truffles with Saint Laurent: A relative of Pinot Noir, the red Saint Laurent is a great alternative to the chocolate loving pinot. A late harvest, it has a great full body to harmonize with rich and creamy chocolates, and even M&Ms!
Chocolate Covered Fruit and Raisins with Barla: This all-natural Barbera wine is almost the antithesis of a classic barbera: it is all body, fruit, and jam. Particularly in the 2017 harvest, which was hot and late, Barla is super concentrated, almost like a late harvest Zinfandel or Amarone, and has just a hint of residual sugar making it great with chocolate covered fruit, but our favorite ae Raisinets!
Hard and Chewy Candies
Hard candies, like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers are very similar to a classic lollipop: essentially, they are a flavored sugar syrup that has been hardened. Normally, these candies are fruit flavored, varying from cherry to lemon to berry and onward. Here, with abundant sugar and fruitiness, we want a healthy acidity with just a lingering touch of sugar (even late harvest will do). These same principles can be considered when taking more chewier candies like a Starburst or Skittles that are, in the end, fruit flavored as well.
Hard Candies and Lollipops with Moravian Muscat: This native grape from the Czech Republic is considered an “off-dry” level of sugar, however, thanks to crazy acidity, you don’t feel it. In fact, the sugar and acidity balance each other out for a delicious flavor, which is exactly what it will do with fruity hard candies.
Starbursts and Skittles and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc: Bright acidity, matched with a creaminess that comes from a touch of oak aging, Thaya’s Sauvignon Blanc is also a late harvest, so a little more body will counteract the tartness of a Skittle.
Cinnamon Candies with Thaya Rosé: Now this is a specific one, because this off dry rosé wine is unique. It really has a fantastic cinnamon flavor and perfume. This is why we love to pair it with spicy red hots or hot tamales, or really any cinnamon flavored candy whether hard or chewy.
Gummy Candies
Gummy candies can be diverse, from super sweet to puckeringly sour, fruity flavors, unidentifiable flavors. These are the type of hyper-processed candies that stand out as the primary suspects of causing bellyaches on Halloween. But, pair them with the right wine, and it might just be a different story.
Gummy Bears and Worms with Sweet Albana: Gummy candies like classic Haribo are an interesting dilemma: very sweet, chewy and not creamy, yet not terribly strong flavored, they require a sweet yet delicate wine. The fruity sweet nature of Braschi’s Sweet Albana is great for this. Once favored by Roman empresses, it makes you wonder what ancient Romans would have thought of haribo?
Twizzlers and Brachetto d’Acqui: Here, like the cinnamon example above, when a wine tastes so much like something it is hard to not pair them together. With Ivaldi’s Brachetto d’Acqui, twizzlers meets its magic mate where we pair strawberry flavors with strawberry flavors!
Sour Candies with Riesling: Sour candies are notoriously hard pair with. On one hand logic says to go with a sickly sweet wine to counteract, yet that is not necessarily the case. If we go instead with something like a fruity wine with lots of acidity, they actually pair well. So, go for Thaya’s Riesling when you have sour candies!
Classic Sweet Treats
Sugar needs sugar… that is why when we look at the sugariest of the sugar treats, we have to be cognizant of the residual sugars. Sometimes, we need more (like a passito), sometimes pairing it will bubbles can mean that the sugar can be less (like an Alta Langa). Important here, is to consider texture: we don’t want to overwhelm our palates with too much, so bubbles and acidity will help combat overly creamy or sticky sugary flavors.
Candy Corn with Andrea Alta Langa: The polarizing, yet oh so classic candy corn is a distinct flavor, and you love it or hate it. Regardless of which camp your in (love it, then see how much more you love it… or hate it, then maybe this pairing will change your mind!), bubbles will be helpful to clean the sugary sweetness. Pick one like the Andrea Alta Langa that also has a tiny bit of residual sugar (technically it falls under an Extra Dry category) and pretty complexity to simultaneously complement and combat the sugary monotony of candy corn.
Caramel Corn and Caramels with a Passito: Whether your caramel corn is made at home, or bought at a state fair, or even just Cracker Jacks, you should note that it will tend to have a savory/salty undertone to the flavor. Same story of caramels (hard or soft), especially sea salt ones, obviously. Here, Passitos do the trick. Like Vigna Petrussa's Desiderio, or a Caluso Riserva Erbaluce Passito, these honey and caramel flavored sweet wines also have a healthy dose of acidity to help balance the sticky sweetness of caramel.
Twinkies with Moscato d’Asti: Bubbly, the sweet Moscato d'Asti is also very well balanced with sapidity, so this will counteract nicely overly-sweet and creamy confections like a Twinkie. Surprising… but don’t knock it until you try it!
Got Your Candy? Now Get the Wine to Pair!
Now comes our favorite part: eating candy and drinking wine! Sounds like a fantastic way to spend an evening. Below we have a selection of wild and scarce Vero wines that we mentioned above and that pair great with candy to get you started. If you’re eating all the processed candy… what better way to “counteract” it than with small production or minimal intervention wines? We exist to allow all Americans, across the US, from businesses to consumers, to experience the pleasures of these farm to glass wines, and a really good olive oils too. How can you get your hands on the hidden gems we forage for?
If you are a distributor reach out to us introduce our highly curated portfolio of one of a kind small production wines to your state.
We sell to wine stores and restaurants in certain states - contact us to learn more.
If our farm crafted natural wines and olive oils are not in your local shop or restaurant, buy wine online here, and we’ll ship it to you, including wine gifts.
We also have an award winning wine club for true wine explorers that are seeking to continually discover unique, sustainable and authentic small production wines they never had. These are wines selected by our sommeliers and curated for each box.
We do corporate gifts and sommelier guided wine tastings. Email us and we’ll tailor unique and sustainable corporate gift ideas.
Chocolate Based Candies and Candy Bars
This is Schioppettino red wine is made only in the best years and is made with 100% air dried grapes, or apassimento, like Amarone. It is a rich red natural wine with concentrated flavors made with native yeast fermentation. A delicious 'meditation wine,' its slight sweetness makes it an Italian 'sweet wine' alternative for Port. Pairs incredibly well with dark chocolate. Or you can pair it with flavorful meat dishes, like wild boar.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
“Run, don’t walk to find and grab this bottle. It is a prime example of the harmony and complexity this style of wine is capable of expressing” is how VinePair describes this wine in their list of 13 of the Best Sweet Wines.
Fruity, spicy and balanced, this multiple award winning women-made dessert wine, Picolit, is the rarest and most treasured varietal in Friuli, the extreme North East of Italy.
It is made from hand-picked and air-dried picolit grapes that went through noble rot, as with the best dessert wines in the world. Fermented and then aged for 18 months in french oak barrique. Only 1200 bottles were made, and we have the last few available so be quick to grab this meditation wine to sip and savor.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, this single vineyard 100% Saint Laurent, which is called Svatovavřinecké in the Czech language and is a descendant of pinot noir, is from the U Chlupa vineyard with dusty loess and clay soils and which is in a national park. It has an inky deep purple color, a pretty nose, of violets, milk chocolate and spice. It is fresh with chaulky tannins, dark fruit taste, a harmonious and balanced wine. The wine was made naturally and fermented with native yeasts. It aged for 18 months in oak barrels of assorted sizes and types of toasting. It’s what’s called a “beefier Pinot Noir.”
You never had a Barbera like this! Made from 95 year old Barbera vineyard, with some small percentage of other varieties planted over the years in the vineyard. This all natural wine has intense aromas of brandied cherries and a richly textured, delicious dark fruit taste with right balance of fruit, acidity and tannins. Barla is the antique name of the vineyard which used to be the land of an old convent. After a gentle crushing, fermentation starts with native yeast fermentation and wines are left with skin contact for 6-7 weeks, followed by about 36 months of aging in wooden barrels, housed under Lorenzo Corino's family home.
As with all of Case Corini wines, this is a 00 wine, nothing added, nothing removed, no yeast, no sulphites added, organic, biodynamic, vegan. In other words, all natural wine.
Hard and Chewy Candies
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, this semi-aromatic, white wine is made from moravian muscat, and a cross between muscat ottonel and a rare Czech grape, prachtraube. Its lively acidity matches so well with 5 grams/liter of residual sugar, that it practically hides the extra natural fruit sugars, making it a white wine that both dry and sweet wine drinkers would enjoy as it is well balanced between the sweetness and acidity. It has intriguing aromas of lavander, honeysuckle and chamomile and a citrus/grapefruit taste reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc. If you like moscato and sauvignon blanc, try this!
Made naturally, with native yeast fermentation. Stainless steel fermentation and aged for 6 months in stainless steel before bottling.
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, sipping this late harvest sauvignon blanc is like having a lemon creamsicle as a white wine.
It has an intriguing nose, floral, with cape gooseberry fruit and lemongrass, thanks to aging in french oak barrels for 12 months, of which 20% is new oak. It has great acidity with flavors of lemon and poblano chiles mixed in with a creamy taste and mouthfeel and a long, saline finish.
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, this 100% Blaufrankisch rosé, which is called Frankova in the Czech language, has an orange-pink color, cinnamon red hot up front and great balance of red forest fruits and juicy acidity, that balances out the 5.9 grams/liter of residual sugar. Stainless steel fermentation and aged for 6 months in stainless steel before bottling.
Gummy Candies
With an inviting golden yellow color, this fresh and softly balanced sweet wine made from the historic Albana grape from the Romagna area of Italy has intriguing saffron and apricot notes. As a sommelier pointed out when tasting the wine for the first time: ‘It’s a dessert wine that is sort of a dry wine.. Wow, this whispers, not shouts!’
“Can we make Brachetto popular, please?” is how VinePair headlines why this artisanal, aromatic red sweet sparkling wine, just recently imported by us first time to the USA, made it to VinePair’s list of 13 Best Sweet Wines.
An aromatic grape, brachetto, creates a pleasantly slightly sparkling sweet red wine, with delicate rose flower and strawberry notes and strawberry and hibiscus taste. ‘Susbel’, in the local Piemontese dialect of Ivaldi in the Monferrato, refers to the location of the vineyard of this Brachetto d’Acqui, where the sun is bright and well exposed.
Left four days in contact with the skins and fermented with native yeast, this natural wine has a bright and clear light red color, dotted with fine effervescent bubbles. Sipping, the immediate impact is indeed sweet, yet with enough acidity and a hint of tannins to create a harmonious and balanced wine that keeps you coming back for more.
Wonderful to serve slightly chilled to sip with friends in the backyard on a hot summer day, or to serve with fruity desserts. Try pairing it with cheese, like with Humboldt Fog goat cheese - it goes incredibly well. It can also pair with charcuterie. Made with native yeast fermentation and has a residual sugar of 120 g/l.
A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldi Dario practices regenerative farming.
From the Thaya estate winery in the Czech Republic, the fruit for this late harvest dry riesling came from the organically farmed Staré Vinice estate vineyard, which is within a national park. The vineyard is south facing, with granite soils. The wine was made naturally and fermented with native yeast and aged for 12 months in 1,000-liter barrels. This dry, Rhine-style Riesling is golden yellow in color. On the nose, you’ll find notes of lemon ricola, vanilla, chai spice and a distinct salinity that is due to the underlying palate. The palate has a juicy acidity that is in harmony with the citrus notes. The wine has a long finish and excellent potential for aging.
Classic Sweet Treats
Who doesn’t like chamomile and honey? That’s what this wine reminds you of! It’s a Moscato d’Asti that appeals both to sweet wine lovers and dry wine drinkers wanting a moment with a touch of sweetness.
The name of this wine, Ros du Su, means ‘Rays of Sunlight’ in Piemontese dialect where this Moscato d’Asti comes from. Looking at its bright, golden-yellow color, it is easy to understand the inspiration for this name.
In the glass, the aromatic qualities of moscato are the first noticeable aromas, but underneath subtle and persistent notes of honey and acacia and chamomile flowers come forth creating a complex bouquet. Tasting, the sweetness of the residual sugars are well balanced with freshness and sapidity. A pleasant wine that keeps you sipping, it pairs well with desserts, but is every bit as enjoyable alone in contemplation.
A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldipractices regenerative farming.
This Alta Langa Spumante, or an Italian sparkling wine, is an Extra Brut, with flavors of bread crust, caramel and candied fruit, with great acidity and salinity, a hint of sage and a long mineral finish.
Made following the traditional Champagne method, it ages on the lees for 30 months in the bottle. Alta Langa is a newer DOCG that is steeped in history and is an up-an-comer amongst Italian traditional method sparkling wines.
This vintage wine is from vineyards at 200 meters that are harvested slightly late to give the wine more structure. A Blanc de Blancs made from 100% chardonnay grapes, fine and persistent bubbles are present with an inviting straw yellow perlage.
Tastes Like: Bread crust, caramel, and candied fruit.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Bottle fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - This wine is named for the current winemaker, Andrea Ivaldi, the 4th generation of his family to make wine, and the first to make a sparkling wine.
- A certified sustainable winery, Ivaldi practices regenerative farming.
Light fragrance recalling sweet acacia honey and dried fruits. This nectar is made from hand selected grapes, dried in crates and refined in French oak barrique. This is produced in a limited run of only 1000 bottles per year.
Vigna Petrussa is a certified sustainable and biodiverse women-owned winery.
This Caluso Passito dessert wine made from 100% Erbaluce grapes is produced only during the best vintages, and exclusively in those extraordinary ones, a small part is reserved to Caluso Passito "Riserva". Aged for 10 years in casks and 4-6 years in bottle, only 1000 bottles are made per vintage. It is sweet, fresh and sapid with delicate floral notes.
