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Forbes Lifestyle Spirits Here’s How To Pair Your Favorite Halloween Candy With Wine Jillian Dara Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover spirits, wine and the global culture of imbibing. Following Oct 26, 2023, 12:00pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin All too often, certain styles of wines are pigeonholed into pairings with their time-tested culinary complements. Think cabernet sauvignon and steak, champagne and oysters or chardonnay and charcuterie. Yet any wine enthusiast knows the true thrill of discovering a less-expected wine and food duet. For adults, Halloween is a wonderful holiday to explore the versatility of wine pairings. While it’s certainly a time for experimenting with personal preferences, I tapped Mezzacorona winemaker Maurizio Maurizi to share some of his favorite wine pairings with Halloween’s most popular treats, from Starburst to candy corn. getty Brut Sparkling Wine And Candy Corn Candy corn’s honey, sugar and vanilla flavors and a waxy consistency pose a variety of textures and flavors to navigate. Maurizi recommends Rotari Brut NV as a “perfect choice” to accompany and counterbalance all these characteristics. “The bubbles can perfectly clean the palate and contrast the waxy tendency; the long refinement and the resulting creaminess of this Metodo Classico accompany the sweet and vanilla notes; the tiny residual sugar (as for a “brut” sparkling wine) embraces sweetness and sugar.” Also try: Chandon Brut Sparkling or Mirabelle Brut Rosé And Twix The caramel, biscuit and milk chocolate outline a sweet toasted taste that is lent a certain tenderness from the biscuit, describes Maurizi. “Therefore, a fresh rosé, with an outstanding acidity and moderate aromaticity, can contrast all these characteristics of the dessert.” MORE FOR YOU Multiple People Dead And Dozens Wounded In Mass Shootings In Maine, Suspect Still At Large Leak Reveals Joe Biden Could Be About To Issue A Game Changing Executive Order That Could Spark Bitcoin Ethereum XRP And Crypto Price Chaos What We Know About Robert Card The Person Of Interest In The Maine Mass Shootings Try: Mezzacorona Delisa Pinot Grigio Rosé or Flowers Sonoma Coast Rosé 2022 Red Blend And Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups “Peanut butter presents strength, flavor density, aromatic intensity and fattiness that the acidity of a white wine cannot contrast,” explains Maurizi, who suggests Mezzacorona’s DiNotte. “The residual sugar of the wine pairs with the sweet sensation of the chocolate, its acidity contrasts the greasiness of the peanut butter and its body manages to support the flavor density of this sweet.” Also try: Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rouge 2022 Pinot Grigio And Toffee Toffee-filled bars like Heath or even Werther’s candies offer a fat-cream component that must be balanced. Maurizi says a pinot grigio is ideal for reducing the fat-cream component with its acidity and delicate aromas that complement the toffee without overpowering it. Try: Domenica Pinot Grigio 2021 or Cantina Zaccagnini Pinot Grigio 2020 Pinot Grigio And Starburst Pinot grigio is also complementary to the fruit-forward sweets, explains Maurizi. He says this style of wine is delicate with naturally low alcohol that “does not cover the thin structure [of the candy] but elevates their aromatic note.” Try: Ventessa Pinot Grigio, Josh Pinot Grigio or Trimbach Pinot Gris Nero D’Avola And Snickers “The sweet and slightly toasted note of this nutty candy reminds [me] a bit of wood,” says Maurizi. “For this reason, Stemmari Nero d'Avola, slightly oaked with this sweet note of vanilla, is the perfect pairing. This delicate acidity mediated by the Sicilian sun accompanies [nutty] tastes, and this rich soul perfectly embraces the tannins of this dessert.” Also try: Donnafugata Sherazade 2021 or Cusumano Nero d’Avola Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Check out my website . Jillian Dara Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions
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