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Just For Fun! Pairing Tawny Port with Halloween Candy
When I was contacted about testing out some candy pairings with Tawny Port, I jumped at the chance! 10 Year Tawny Port is one of my favorite dessert wines (here, here, and here). I have my favorite things to pair for an after dinner treat, but I rarely think of candy as one of those pairings. On Halloween, serve yourself a glass of W.&J. Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port and raid your kid’s goodie bag!

Adult Halloween Fun!

For a fun pre-Halloween experiment, I picked up some favorite treats to test out with the Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port, just for the sake of science, you understand.

Fine pick-me-up for a cold evening shelling out goodies to goblins

W. & J. Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port ($36 SRP, winery sample, online here)
Eye: Clear, translucent pretty garnet red with a caramel edge.
Nose: Sweet, nuts, raisins, good intrigue. A bit of musty basement meets nuts and fruit, in a good way.
Mouth: Rich viscous, smooth but excellent acidity.  Nice long finish

Classic finish to dinner: Tawny Port with blue cheese, nuts and dried fruit

My typical 10 year Tawny pairing includes nuts & dried fruit, blue cheese. Also, high quality dark chocolate. If you think about nuts and chocolate, you may discover a few Halloween pairings that will work well.

Halloween Candy Winner: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

On Halloween, go straight for the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Don’t be swayed by candy corn, or even Butterfinger.  Reese’s is the clear winner. The rich peanuts and chocolate accentuate the fruit in the wine and reduce the sensation of sweetness without disturbing the balance and richness of the mouthfeel. A nice pairing indeed. And worry about the dentist tomorrow….

Disclosure: The wine sample was provided by the US public relations firm. All opinions expressed are my own.