Happy Hallo-wine!

It’s Trick 'r Drinking time. If you’ve been a consistent reader of this blog you know I am all about pairing food and wine together. I love this time of year in the Walla Walla Valley and I love Halloween. And the question I have is - - what kind of candy to hand out to the little ghouls and goblins? Every year varies. If I am in my healthy self-righteous diet mode then I will give out candy I do not care for (so I won't be snacking on it). If I am in my "I don't give a bat's ass-gimme-chocolate, then I will give out the good stuff. And when I say good stuff I mean candy like Three Musketeers and Hershey bars. Of course, while I am waiting on the lil' monsters to ring the door bell, I need to be sipping on a little wine. So what kind of wine pairs with Halloween candy?

Candy Corn: Chardonnay makes for a good pairing with these little nuggets of white, yellow and orange (or known in my house as West Virginia vampire teeth). I would choose either Canoe Ridge or Forgeron Cellars Chardonnay. Both wines are very light in oak and will not mask that sweet candy corn goodness.

Caramel Apples: "Hoobie" Sauvignon Blanc from Couvillion Winery or Three Rivers Meritage White. The clean and refreshing tastes from these wines bring out the crispness from the apple.

Mary Janes "Peanut Butter Kisses (the taffy in the orange and black wax wrappers): Okay this particular pairing is painful as I dislike the Hiney Wine jokes, but the Hiney Winery Tiny Hiney makes for a perfect pairing - very reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Tiny Hiney is a dessert wine made with Concord grapes (jelly and juice grapes) and Riesling.

Almond Joy: Long Shadow's Poet’s Leap Riesling or Walla Walla Village Gewurztraminer. The fruit of pear, melon and honey from the Riesling pairs nicely with the addition of the coconut and almonds from the candy. If you are wanting a semi-sweet wine, the Gewurztraminer still has some residual sugar and the exotic fruits from the wine would blend well with the fruit and nuts from the candy.

Hershey Chocolate Bar (with or without almonds): Waterbrook Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely a more mellow Cabernet with softer tannins and does not interfere with the chocolate. Also, Waterbrook’s Melange - a red blend that is one of my all-time regulars when I want an every day sipping wine. Melange works quite well with any chocolate - - trust me.

Three Musketeers Bar: Any Walla Walla produced Merlot is going to pair well with one of my favorite candy bars! In fact, the first Merlot that comes to mind is from Lowden Hills Winery. Merlot does not seem to over-power the milk chocolate and fluffy center.

Snickers Bar: Mannina Cellars Sangiovese or even Mannina’s Cali red table makes for a great pairing. The earthy and dark cherry qualities from both wines work well with the peanuts, caramel and nougat.

M&M's: A handful of these color-assorted candies pair nicely (peanut or plain) with a glass of Syrah. Choose your Syrah like you do your favorite M&M colors such as Morrison Lane Vineyard Syrah pairs nicely with the red and brown ones and Isenhower Cellars Wild Alfalfa Syrah or even their Wild Thyme (with 60% Syrah) is a good pairing with the blue and green M&M’s in your candy dish.

Remember as with the M&M’s, all of the above wines will melt in your mouth and not in your hands. Cheers!