The 8 best Halloween candy and wine pairings for spooktacular party
The top Halloween candy may boil down in a cauldron to a matter of opinion. But one thing is clear through the steam of bubbling ideas: Halloween candy tastes even better when you pair it with wine.
We're talking all the most popular Halloween candy: Snickers, Nerds, Twizzlers, 3 Musketeers, peanut butter cups and, dare we say, candy corn. Whatever wins on your Halloween candy bracket, these 8 wines are frighteningly delicious partners to the wicked sweetness. Plus these wines just happen to have some spooktacular story lines. Make your Halloween party planning even easier by getting every single bottle, plus a wine-and-Halloween pairing guide in Duplin Winery's Halloween Tasting Kit. Get $40 off the kit — plus free shipping — in October 2023. Then all you need to do is pick a costume, set out some bowls of Halloween candy and call your all your favorite ghouls and goblins.
Here are the best Duplin wines to pair with Halloween candy.
Mothervine ☞ Candy Corn
Candy's corn's buttery, old-fashioned flavor brings out Mothervine's hauntingly historic richness. We're talking 400-plus years of grape history here. That's a lot of thirsty ghosts.
Orange Blossom ☞ Rainbow Nerds
Orange is the official color of Halloween, and Nerds' fruity madness perfectly matches Orange Blossom's citrus notes and intensifies the wine's fizz.
Bald Head Red ☞ Twix
More than the spooky old lighthouse on the label. Bald Head Red's floral notes enhance Twix's cookie chocolate combo.
Blackberry ☞ Red Twizzlers
A bootifully black and red, berry on berry experience. Some get Dracula on the phone. After hours, of course.
Black River Red ☞ 3 Musketeers
Where the Black River flows nobody really wants to know on Halloween night, but don't be afraid. This light red blend's luscious sweetness loves a fluffy chocolate 3 Musketeers.
Queen Anne's Revenge ☞ Snickers
They say you can still hear Blackbeard's crew snickering at night in the secret canals along North Carolina's coast. Light some lanterns and let this wine label's ghostly ship inspire tall tales as you nibble mini Snickers between sips of Duplin's complex red full of surprising nuances.
Sweet Caroline ☞ Peanut Butter Cups
When night falls the monsters call. Why? They're hungry for the sweetest PB & J ever! Or your brain. Sweet Caroline is pure grape joy and Duplin's sweetest wine, making it a no-brainer with peanut butter cups.
Pum'kin ☞ Rolo
Fear eaters take note. When you're shaking so hard you don't know what else to do but pop one piece of Halloween candy after another, grab all the little Rolos and a glass of Pum'kin. The candy's caramel filling captures the wine's warm fall spices and calms the nerves.
Mulled Wine Slushie ☞ Hot Tamales
Icy, cold wine slushie spice. Chewy sweet heat. Every zombie in town is going to rethink their abnormal eating plan.
Now, let's begin your wine tasting!
Mothervine
New World explorers of the 1500s couldn’t believe so many wild grapes grew along the shore of what would become North Carolina. That same century, someone on Roanoke Island planted what has been named the Mothervine, a Scuppernong thought to be America’s first cultivated grapevine. Duplin acquired cuttings from the nearly 450-year-old vine in the early 2000s and released this sweet, fruity wine in 2008. With just one vineyard of Mothervine grapes, Duplin releases a limited amount of this wine.
Orange Blossom
New World explorers of the 1500s couldn’t believe so many wild grapes grew along the shore of what would become North Carolina. That same century, someone on Roanoke Island planted what has been named the Mothervine, a Scuppernong thought to be America’s first cultivated grapevine. Duplin acquired cuttings from the nearly 450-year-old vine in the early 2000s and released this sweet, fruity wine in 2008. With just one vineyard of Mothervine grapes, Duplin releases a limited amount of this wine.
Bald Head Red
The Christmas wine Naughty & Nice is a white made with a special blend of Scuppernong and Niagara grapes. This white has less alcohol kick than many of Duplin's other wines. Each sip goes down smooth and mellow.
We like to joke that this wine is so good that it can make naughty people nice; nice people naughty; or it can make you both at the same time!
Blackberry
Earthy sweetness bursting with blackberries brings us back to summer days spent picking wild blackberries. Our winemakers use fresh North Carolina berries for this Duplin favorite. Expressive chilled or at room temperature, Blackberry pairs wonderfully with honey-glazed ham, brown-sugar-braised short ribs, spice cake and rich holiday meals.
Black River Red
This sweet and mellow red is made with a sweet blend of late harvest Muscadines. Released in 2007, this quickly became a favorite wine for many Duplin lovers. The taste is smooth and has less of an alcohol kick, much like an adult version of grape juice.
Black River Red was named after the Black River, which begins in North Carolina's Sampson County, then flows through Bladen County to Wilmington.
Queen Anne's Revenge
Blackbeard, the scourge of the Carolina shores, was a scoundrel of the highest order. You can almost hear the mighty timbers of his flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge’s, creaking and cracking as you pour a glass of our complexly sweet, slightly tart Queen Anne’s Revenge red wine. This bold-bodied wine, with a bite at the end, is made with the muscadine grape variety Nobel. The wine shows up only once a year because of the special process used to make it. Grapes are fermented on the skins in outdoor tanks exposed to Mother Nature’s irregular temperatures. Those temperature shifts add to the wine’s complexity.
Pum'kin
The crisp start followed by a smooth, cozy spice instantly puts you in that fall mood. A subtle blend of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg makes Pum'kin exceptional with tailgate snack platters full of smoked meats, cheddar cheese and buttery crackers. We love it with nut-coated cheese balls or tender short ribs served over whipped sweet potatoes. Pull a sizzling steak off the heat and then deglaze the skillet with a splash of Pum'kin to create a pan sauce your family will request again and again.
Muscadine Cider
Duplin Winery's Muscadine Cider is the only alcohol-free drink that does not go through the fermentation process. Cider is made from fresh noble grapes that are cold-treated and pasteurized. Get that old-fashioned cider feeling with Duplin's Muscadine Cider.
Mulled Wine Slushie
Every year in the Carolinas, when the fall season arrives you never know whether to put on shorts with a tee or jeans with a flannel. We understand the struggle, so we created a special fall collection that takes the best of both chilly mornings and toasty afternoons. With this set you can create a perfect drink for a southern autumn day, a Mulled Wine Slushie.
