Halloween Candy & Wine Pairings

I absolutely adore Halloween. It’s my favorite time of year, and even though spooky things sometime give me the creeps post-trauma, I still love it.
The weather is starting to turn and sweaters and scarves come out again, my birthday comes around, and I start my indoor growing projects that will take me to next spring.

Not to mention, there’s something just magical about Halloween once you’re grown up.
You trade pillowcases of sugar for bottles of Syrah, the sticky fingers for wine-stained ones, and somehow, life feels deliciously full circle with treats instead of tricks.

Maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe it’s the way sugar and tannin flirt smoothly when no one’s watching, but pairing Halloween candy with wine isn’t just indulgent, it’s oddly perfect.
Wine teases out the hidden flavors we missed as kids and suddenly, a Snickers bar tastes like caramel velvet. Candy corn stops being a joke and starts tasting like baked honey.

So, pour yourself a glass, unwrap something you swore you’d outgrown, and let’s pair 12 candies with wines that make you remember why sweetness isn’t always a bad thing. Also, this comes in handy for the week after Halloween and you have a ton of candy leftover because your kid hit wasn’t as big as you expected.

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups & Madeira

Starting with my personal favorite: the Reese’s. Chocolate meets peanut butter in a swirl of heavenly perfection.
There’s also no wrong way to eat a Reese’s, unless it’s without wine. I’m personally one of those who eats the chocolate edges first then pops the peanut butter center into my mouth at the end.
The salty-sweet blend of chocolate and peanut butter just begs for something nutty and warming. Madeira takes it up a notch right to where I want it to be. The nutty, caramel flavors in the wine match the peanut butter, and the bright acidity keeps it from feeling too heavy. It’s basically dessert on dessert, but somehow still classy adn well-balanced. Try a Bual or Malmsey Madeira if you like a deeper caramel finish like I do.

2. Skittles & Moscato d’Asti

Okay, so Skittles are my second favorite, and how can you blame me?
“Taste the rainbow,” all their commercials said, and with Moscato d’Asti in hand, you actually do.
Lightly sparkling, floral, and kissed with peach, Moscato doesn’t overpower the candy, it plays along nicely. Each color pops differently: lime feels more herbal, grape turns jammy, and strawberry feels less like the artificial flavor and more like those wild strawberries you picked in the hot sun just a month or two ago.
Try to find yourself a well-made Moscato. I know there are a lot of $10 ones out there, but if you pick from a quality producer you’re more likely to get higher acidity levels and better floral notes. It’s worth the extra $10 for that giant jump in quality, trust me.
It’s a pairing that feels like the joy of a child: effervescent, unapologetically sweet, and just a little chaotic.

3. Snickers & Zinfandel

Now, onto my mom’s personal favorite candy.
Peanuts, caramel, nougat, chocolate, Snickers was already halfway to a sommelier-approved dessert. It’s got those savory notes balanced out perfectly with the sugars in a way that most candies can only dream of.
Zinfandel is a tricky grape varietal that goes through something called millerandage which means the grapes ripen unevenly. While you’re most likely used to seeing a bunch of grapes all the same color, Zinfandel is the opposite. It’s got green, red, pink, shriveled raisins, and tiny little guys all at once. This uneven ripening might be a pain for the winemakers, but it lends to a complex and rich nose that had red, black, and blur fruit characteristics that really lend to the Snickers.
The peanut amplifies the wine’s warmth (Zinfandels are typically higher in alcohol than a lot of other wines); the caramel coaxes out molasses in the glass. Together, it’s like jumping into a snuggy and sitting by the fireplace, true comfort.

4. Kit Kat & Pinot Noir

If you happen to have any of those homemade hazelnut crunch chocolates like we do at Jean Georges, you can take this pairing to the next level. Or, if you’re normal, some leftover Kit-Kats will do the trick.
Pinot Noir has always been moody, just ask any winemaker. It’s notoriously sensitive to everything (heat, soil, rain, cold, etc.) and loves to brood in a glass while it takes a little while to open up and breathe the way you want it to. The terroir sensitive grape really does wonders with a smoother and softer milk chocolate.
Pinot Noir and Kit Kat are an unexpectedly elegant couple. The wafer’s crisp texture balances the wine’s soft red fruit, think strawberries meet earth, and the milk chocolate smooths every sip.
It’s balance and contrast in perfect harmony, and a gentle reminder that fun can still be refined.

5. Twix & Cabernet Sauvignon

I can still never think about Twix without thinking of my neighbor growing up’s little dog named Twix-y that never stopped barking. Woof, anyway, the classic biscuit snap, the caramel chew, the chocolate shell, Twix is architectural.
This heavy-hitter in the world of Halloween candy needs a wine with structure too. Enter the familiar and well-loved Cabernet Sauvignon: bold, balanced, and powerful enough to match Twix’s layers without losing itself.
Of all the grapes I’ve mentioned so far, this one is the one you’re probably most familiar with. The love-child of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, it borrowed one name from each of it’s parents, and like a true dynastic power struggle, over-threw them both on it’s way to fame.
Together, it’s drama and precision, sweetness colliding with sophistication and power, and somehow, it works.

6. Candy Corn & Chardonnay

Go ahead and roll your eyes, but trust me on this. Well, if you even eat candy corn that is. It seems like online everyone seems to be in the “I hate candy corn” club, but I missed the invite. Probably lost in my inbox somewhere. I have too many email addresses.
Anyway, slightly buttery Chardonnay with a bit more texture to it turns humble candy corn into something to talk about. The wine’s vanilla and toast pull out the candy’s creamy side, while its acidity keeps the sweetness in check.
Chardonnay is always a sleeper, but it comes in so many different styles you’re bound to find one that you love. If you’re less into the butter try a Chablis or an unoaked Chardonnay.
Together, they’re like popcorn and butter met Halloween and fell in epic monster love.

7. Milky Way & Merlot

Soft caramel, milk chocolate, and rich nougat, Milky Way melts before you even finish your first bite.
Enter Merlot: one of the most hated grapes for some reason that most people don’t even know about. Ever see the movie Sideways? Yeah, that little movie single-handedly ruined the reputation of Merlot worldwide. This grape is super under-rated and under-valued for what it is at this point in time. Merlot produces a plushy and soft tannin with bright fruit and excellent structure.
Merlot steps into this chocolate pairing with its velvety plums and cocoa warmth, matching sweetness with grace. It doesn’t compete with the Milky Way, it completes it. You complete me. How romantic for Halloween.
They’re both smooth talkers, and together, they jive like an old jazz record on a rainy October night.

8. M&M’s (Peanut) & Côtes du Rhône

You knew I was going to do peanut M&M’s didn’t you? I mean, the classic candy that once you open it you have to finish the bag no matter which size you bought? That’s why I always try to get the small bags of these guys, otherwise I’ll eat them until my tummy aches like I’m 6 years old again.
You definitely need something versatile here, something that can play nice with both chocolate and roasted peanut.
A Côtes du Rhône does exactly that with its dark and moody fruit, spice, and whisper of smokiness that bridge both worlds beautifully.
Together, they’re truly crowd-pleasers. Classic, unfussy, and quietly perfect, your Côtes du Rhône and Peanut M&M’s are sure to make your Halloween one you won’t forget anytime soon. Well, I guess that depends on how much of the bottle you drink.

9. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate & Lambrusco

I had to pick the classic chocolate that feels like is always left behind in the bowl when the kids are done with it. Definitely not something to scoff at, I typically save them for when I want to make S’mores later on in the year.
Anyway, these chocolates are always simple, nostalgic, and unapologetically sweet.
Hershey’s classic milk chocolate gets a serious upgrade from a nice chilled Lambrusco, the fizzy red wine Italy refuses to take too seriously. It’s jammy, sparkly, a little rebellious with a dash of earthiness to round out the whole pairing. It reminds me of chocolate covered cherries, smooth and seductive.
One bite, one sip, and suddenly, you’re twelve again, but with better taste in beverages and an upgraded Capri-Sun.

10. Starburst & Riesling (Off-Dry)

Obviously, you knew a Riesling was coming. I love Riesling so much, it’s my little dog’s name.
If you ever needed proof that wine can be fun, this is it right here, you’re welcome.
The citrusy sweetness of Starburst (especially the pink and red ones, throw those orange and yellows off to the side) collides beautifully with Riesling’s stone fruit and honeyed acidity.
Riesling is such an underrated wine with a balance that reminds me of Libras. You’ve got fruit, zipping acidity and just a killer mouthfeel you wish would linger even longer than it does.
It’s electric and juicy, like lightning in a glass, the kind of pairing that makes you laugh mid-sip.

11. Sour Patch Kids & Rosé

A personal favorite of mine to stuff in my mouth in between tables at 11pm when I’m starving, Sour Patch Kids have a special place in my heart.
First they’re sour, then they’re sweet, god what cute marketing. Rosé knows that story just as well as those tiny, badly-behaved candy children who go around bringing chaos with them.
A bright, dry rosé (think strawberry, citrus, and a touch of minerality) softens the candy’s sharp and sour edges without dulling its energy too much.
It’s sunshine and sass in perfect pink harmony.

12. Butterfinger & Amontillado Sherry

Anyone out there ever read the Cask of Amontillado? Seems like no one knows Edgar Allan Poe anymore. Anyway, Butterfinger is a beautiful mess that requires careful eating so you don’t end up wearing the crunchy, sticky, nutty chaos.
Amontillado Sherry is order in a glass. It’s pure elegance layered with toasted almond, caramel, and a whisper of salt.
Together, they’re contrast perfected: the candy’s sharpness dissolves into the wine’s warmth like a Halloween spell breaking at midnight.

The Aftertaste of October

Okay, I took way too much time and too much pleasure in writing this piece, so I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe Halloween was never really about ghosts or costumes, but about wine and candy.
If you know me at all, you know that candy is really a part of every day much less a holiday.

Happy Halloween, you classy adult trick-or-treater.