Wine and Candy Pairings

Filed in archive Food and Wine on November 1, 2007

Come on, tell me the truth. You love Halloween just as much as the kids for the exact same reason: candy. And lots of it. I admit it - last night after he had fallen into a candy coma, I found myself rifling through my son's Halloween pumpkin looking for Tootsie Rolls, Twix bars, and M&Ms. I like to pair my candy with a cup of tea, but perhaps you're looking for something a little more interesting than Red Rose. In that case, Jim Clarke recently wrote an article that might give you a few ideas.

You'll need to head over to StarChefs to read the whole piece, but I'm going to give you a little taste. My favorite pairing:

Three Musketeers: As a fan of Alexandre Dumas, I wanted to pair this candy bar with a wine from Gascony, the home of D'Artagnan, hero of the Three Musketeers novels. Fortunately, the area includes Bordeaux, so I had any number of high-quality wines to work with. A Sauternes with some age went very well; if Halloween merits serious celebration in your house, splurge on the Chateau D'Yquem 1995. Age has brought out darker fruit aromas like fig and dried apricot along with botrytis-inspired touches of orange zest and hazelnut - great complements to the nougat. It's expensive, sure, but think of what you saved on the cheap candy bar (and remember to share; that's what the Three Musketeers bar was originally all about.).

Inspired, I decided to give wine and candy a shot. My pairing of choice was Starburst fruit chews and a glass of 2006 Barons De Rothschild Réserve Spéciale Blanc. The dry, crisp wine cut through the sweetness of the lemon and cherry taffy. Actually, it was quite delicious! (Now fess up: do you sneak pieces of the good stuff or do you settle for eating the Smarties and Bit-o-Honeys?)