How to Pair B.C. Wine With Your Kids’ Halloween Candy

Editor’s note: Originally published October 18, 2023. Updated October 2026 to reflect changes in wine availability and provide current winery links. Some images and tasting notes refer to the original vintages featured. Prices, vintages and availability may vary.

First off: you’re helping the little so-and-sos from eating too much candy, so don’t beat yourself up. Refined sugar is the new sitting!

Secondly, we’re going to make this a practical guide. That means, notwithstanding that the under-loved trinity of Sherry, Madeira and Port are frequently going to pair best with a whole slew of the candy, we appreciate that they’re not the popular tipples they used to be in Teddy Roosevelt’s day. So, as good as they are, we’ll try to find more real-world options for you.

Thirdly—and I know we sound like a broken record here—but B.C.’s wine industry has weathered some brutal winter freezes in recent years, and many wineries are still recovering. So now is 100% the time to lean into buying local.

Also, notwithstanding the above picture, there will be no candy corn, because as everyone knows, it is disgusting to a level that Château Pétrus can’t redeem.

The Treat: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Dairy Milk

The Wine: Here’s where a nice sweet wine would come in handy, but a red wine that has ample fruit, some heft (no French Pinot or Gamay) and hopefully lighter tannins might sub in nicely as well. Syrah, Zinfandel or a rich Pinot should work.

The Bottle: Mission Hill Reserve Syrah. Our original pick was the 2020 vintage, a wallop of fruit that could stand up to that chocolate bar, with a dash of Viognier for lift. Look for a similarly plush, fruit-forward Syrah in the winery’s current releases.

The Treat: Sour Patch Kids

The Wine: Tartness covered in sugar is a trick, but if you think of a wine that also has tartness but some juicy fruit as well, what comes to mind? Maybe Sauvignon Blanc?

The Bottle: Covert Farms Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon. Our original pick was the 2022 vintage: good acid, citrus zest, but the softer Sémillon holds it back from being too tart and envelops the sweet-and-sour profile of the SPK. Check the winery’s current releases for a newer vintage of this blend.

The Treat: Lay’s Potato Chips

The Wine: Now we’re in slam-dunk territory. Any sort of dry sparkling wine will shine here. Champagne and plain potato chips is one of the great pairings in the world (especially if said chips have a dollop of caviar on top of them).

My original pick was Haywire’s Vintage Bub, a beautifully aged sparkler whose brioche-y, slightly yeasty profile worked just killer with some crisps. But you don’t need a decade-old bottle to pull this pairing off. A crisp, dry B.C. bubbly will do the trick.

The Bottle: Haywire Vintage Bub (originally the 2013 Brut). If you can’t track down that vintage, look for Haywire’s The Bub or another dry B.C. sparkling wine. No trick, all treat!

The Treat: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

The Wine: OK, I’m going to cheat a bit because this is a freakin’ hard pairing, and I’m going to stick with what I chose all those years ago, because it’s still the champ.

Foch is such a unique grape, and I’m always so proud that Quails’ Gate sticks by it when they could no doubt make more money growing something more widely known. But it’s a huge part of our wine-growing heritage, and a slow clap to them for safeguarding that legacy.

It’s so dark, quirky and full of vanilla and cherry that it might be a bit of a secret weapon in candy pairing.

The Bottle: Quails’ Gate Old Vines Foch, an amazing oddball that continues to be part of the winery’s lineup. Look for the current vintage.

The Treat: Hawkins Cheezies

The Wine: You know what goes with Hawkins? Everything, because they, not Tim Hortons, are the true taste of the Great White North. And frankly, they’re pretty easy to pair: any nice medium-acid white will do the trick.

The Bottle: Road 13 Select Harvest Chenin Blanc. The original 2022 vintage was a wonder. I initially chose a higher-acid option, but I think the balanced acidity here—lemon zest on one hand, lemon curd on the other—highlights the “cheese” of the Hawkins. Look for a current Chenin Blanc with a similarly balanced profile.

The Treat: Red Nibs or Twizzlers

The Wine: When I first did this, I chose Lambrusco, but seeing as how B.C. doesn’t do that (yet), I’m going for a fun little oddball: sparkling rosé.

The original Mayhem pick was a Merlot-based rosé that brought cherry characteristics to the forefront, and that played nicely with whatever the hell Twizzlers are made of. A lively, fruit-forward sparkling rosé is still worth considering for the job.

The Bottle: Mayhem Sparkling Rosé. Our original recommendation was the 2022 Merlot-based release in a 250 mL can. Mayhem’s current 2025 Sparkling Rosé is made with Zweigelt and Pinotage instead, so expect a different flavour profile from the original bottle.

Pictured: Mayhem’s original 2022 Sparkling Rosé. The current release uses a different grape blend.