Wine & Halloween Candy Combinations

Whether you get trick-or-treaters, October is the time of year to have a delicious bowl of sweets and treats in your home. The easiest path to wine pairing with candies like these is to pair sweet with sweet, like our Inifinitum Dessert Wine or Sparkling Moscato. However, as wine lovers, we are intrigued by the challenges and delights of pairing other fine wines with these confections. 

Rather than tell you exactly what wine to have with your fun size Snickers bar, we’ve put together a quick guide to pairing wine and candy based on candy components. Whether you want to lean into the nuances of nougat or the complexities of caramel, there’s a wine that will suit you!

With Peanuts - Centanni Rosso

For anyone reaching for the coveted Reese pumpkins or the salty-sweet of a Snickers, we recommend enjoying this nuttiness alongside the balanced nature of Centanni Rosso. Our Centanni offers enough rich fruit to jive with the peanuts (think of the harmony of a PB & J) and just enough tannin to moderate the sweetness of the candy itself. 

With Mellocreme - Chardonnay

Love it or hate it, candy corn and other mellocreme delights are a part of the season. If you have a soft spot for this polarizing candy, you are not alone! It’s sweet as can be, and sometimes that’s what you need. We enjoy this alongside the light creamy and marshmallow notes of our Landmark Chardonnay.

With Nougat - Sparkling

Nougat offers a satisfying bite with a balance between chewy and smooth. Whether you’re enjoying a rich Milky Way or the fluffy nougat in a 3 Musketeers, you can appreciate the addition of a glass of Sparkling Wine. It’s fun, delicious, and simple!

With Caramel - Barbera

From Rolos to Twix to homemade confections, caramel deserves its established presence in the candy world. We appreciate the plummy, refined tones of a good Barbera alongside caramels of all kinds, especially handcrafted butter caramel. 

With Milk Chocolate - Cuvée Dray

For the chocolate lovers out there, the world of wine is open to you! When it comes to specific pairings, however, this one shines. Our Cuvée Dray is both flavorful and approachable, with enough body to stand up to some sweetness. 

With Toffee - Petite Sirah

The caramelized, buttery profile of crisp English toffee is a delight to the palate and tastes almost nostalgic. A classic like this comfortably joins an underappreciated classic like Petite Sirah. Enjoy the interplay of toffee and this wine’s rich dark notes.

With Dark Chocolate - Cabernet Sauvignon

A truly quintessential conversation if ever there was one! Cabernet and dark chocolate together offer bold flavors, parallel profiles of tannin and cocoa, and full-bodied enjoyment. Both our Jewel Collection and Reserve Collection Cabernets offer this juicy delight. 

With Fruity Candy - Salute Rosé

We love the fun fruity flavors of hard candies like jolly ranchers as well as the chewier varieties like skittles and starburst. These are all delightful with a crisp glass of our vibrant Salute Rose, which offers bright flavor and fun complexity to these pairings. 

Trick or treat! Happy Halloween from Rubino Estates. 

The Proprietary Red Portfolio at Rubino Estates

Since its inception, the Rubino Estates Proprietary Red has enchanted and intrigued wine lovers, vintage after vintage. A premium wine with a top-secret composition, this wine is a must try. On October 18, 19, and 20, we are hosting a luxurious Proprietary Red Portfolio Experience. Read on to learn more!

Experience Details:

On October 18th, 19th, and 20th, we are offering a premium tasting experience featuring an exclusive menu that you won't want to miss. Savor a truly luscious vertical tasting of our 2019, 2020, and 2021 vintages of Landmark Proprietary Red, along with our 2020 and 2021 vintages of our limited-edition Odyssey Red Wine.

Experience Location:

The Portfolio Experience begins in the Rubino Estates Tasting room, where your wine ambassador will greet you with Sparkling Wine and guide you to our hidden Library Room. This secluded room makes an ideal backdrop for enjoying distinguished wines accessible for tasting only at exclusive events like our Proprietary Red Portfolio.  

The Flight:

The flight will feature a vertical tasting of three vintages of Proprietary Red and two vintages of Odyssey. The Proprietary Red is a royal jewel of our Landmark Collection. Its blend is top secret, and it never disappoints. The Odyssey is a premium wine, styled after right-bank Bordeaux blends, and it celebrates more than a century of winemaking history on our estate. We explore each wine more below. 

2021 Landmark Proprietary Red

A mouthwatering medley of berries graces the aroma, with marionberry, blackberry, and blueberry. Accenting these features are a sassy hint of oak spice and elegant vanilla. On the palate, luscious notes of dark fruit dance through to the finale. Built for lasting enjoyment, this wine offers a smooth texture with a slight grip, a medium body, and a luxuriously long and fruit-forward finish.

2020 Landmark Proprietary Red

Experience notes of rich prune with accents of pink peppercorn followed by juicy raspberry and bing cherry on the nose. Savory elements with a touch of cocoa, blackberry, and ripe currant chime in on the palate. Red fruit and vanilla trail beautifully into the finish. This vintage boasts an enticing bright garnet hue and medium mouthfeel, built with tenacious tannin and elegant gravitas.

2019 Landmark Proprietary Red

A lively nose dances with a lush variety of red, black, and blue fruits featuring mulberry, raspberry, and plum with a flourish of anise and vanilla. Flavors follow off the nose, with the red fruit taking prominence. A mid-length finish flourishes with fruit and vanilla notes. Enjoy a medium mouthfeel, bright acidity, and delicious trailing tannins that have continued to integrate over time.

2020 & 2021 Odyssey Red Wine

The Odyssey Red Wine celebrates our story, and these vintages chronicle Chapters 1 and 2 of the journey. The rich history and winemaking legacy of the Ruby Hill Winery’s estate vineyard stretches from 1885 to present day and beyond. Each vintage has very limited production, so this experience is your chance to taste this luxurious wine! 

As you are guided through this luxurious flight, the wines will be accompanied with assorted food offerings. Your wine ambassador will provide insight and information about these two wine programs and answer questions as you enjoy each wine. 

The Proprietary Red Portfolio Tasting Experience will be hosted on the following days and times:

Friday, October 18th at 2:30pm
Saturday, October 19th at 12:00pm and 2:30pm
Sunday, October 20th at 12:00pm and 2:30pm

Tickets are sold individually—no group required. Come alone, bring a friend, or grab some loved ones! This experience is $75 per person, $50 per club member. There are only 8 tickets available per time slot available, so act fast. If purchasing online, please log in with your member credentials to take advantage of the discount.