Buying Halloween candy early is not something I recommend. I can't be trusted with candy, you see. So I always rush out a the last minute to buy. I usually pick up something fun to "pair". This year thanks to Wines of Germany, I previewed some tasty samples with a small assortment of candy (not the pounds of Mars- made deliciousness I scored at Costco and left in the garage)
At their suggestion I tried Spaetburgunder with licorice. I like how the candy bumped up the red fruit character of the wine, while the acid in the wine tamped down the rampant sweetness of the licorice. I also tried it with the salted caramel truffle and was pleased with the peanut butter and jelly riff the two played together.
2010 Franz Anton Spaetburgunder, Baden ($25):
Light in color, this Pinot Noir based wine packs a restrained and elegant punch. The consonant laden name belies a tart and interesting Pinot Noir with nice acidity and a character of red fruit with interesting herbal notes. The suggested pairing is game bird, but I found it surprisingly tasty with Halloween Candy
Of course Riesling goes with everything and the all weather delight of the Selbach fish went as easily with Pez as with licorice as with the suggested nougatty candy. It's not always easy to pair with chocolate but the creamy milk chocolate truffles, with their salted toffee chips was a good match
2013 Selbach "Fish" Riesling, Kabinett, Mosel ($14) This cheerful wine is slightly sweet and silky. It is a holiday standby for me as even non-wine drinkers enjoy it and it goes with everything. Put it with spicy Asian food...yes the kind you can grab in a pinch and it's a hit. If you grab this to go with your
But the most perfect match for the candy and your holiday festivities is the 2013 Moselland "Black Cat" Riesling ($14)
Fresh and fruity with hints of stone fruit and an easy going nature, what hostess wouldn't be delighted by the cat shaped bottle? Orange and black cats contain the same wine
I had the chance to visit Moselland's facility and was awed by the size of it. The wonderful folks who toured us around were friendly and showed us the large tanks farms and the ueber-modern bottling plants. But the fibreglas tanks told the story of the longevity of the place. While you can look out at some of Mosel's famous vineyards from its windows, Moselland strives to aggregate German fruit and put together more entry level offerings. Clean Slate Riesling, a perennial BevMo favorite of mine, is also made there.
But for Halloween, head to CostPlus WorldMarket grab some décor and some Riesling Cats and make it a party!
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| Halloween. Or just make your favorite crazy cat lady happy! |
