Welcome to the first ever Better Booze Hound Panel. This little group of family and friends gathered in my home to taste some remarkable pairings.
Before and after Halloween I usually have some candy kicking around. It is either ubiquitous like those little packets of M&Ms or a candy that no one wants to eat like Candy Corn.
Here’s the deets:
This wasn’t too bad.
Wine before Caramel: uncomplicated (cheap) sparkling wine, lemony, fresh
Wine after Caramel: tasted soapy, lost its fruit
This was bad. I had such hopes (disappointed).
Wine before Sour Candy: pronounced slate minerality, petrol, slight apple, melon
Wine after Sour Candy: salinity, fruit is gone
Note: better experience if you just lick the sour powder off and better yet if you throw out the candy and bite a lemon before the wine. Then the fruit comes back and the salinity decreases.
This wasn’t horrible. It was a very oaky Chardonnay.
Wine before Candy Corn: oak, petrol, honeydew melon
Wine after Candy Corn: makes a sting in the back of the throat, reduces fruit, reduces tartness
Note: Candy Corn improved. It was more like buttercream that its original earplug flavour.
The Absolute Worst.
Wine before Twizzlers: oak, light black pepper, strawberry
Wine after Twizzlers: every bad childhood cold medicine
Horrible, Rancid. Don’t do this.
Pretty good. Unexpected. Alone, both of these are very sweet. Together they mellow each other.
Wine before Rockets: jolly rancher watermelon or strawberry
Wine after Rockets: still Jolly Rancher but not as sharp.
Note: Rockets tasted more fruity and less sweet with the wine, also they bubble a bit in your mouth. Kinda fun. Here is the Wikipedia page on Rockets. You can read those ingredients and tell me if there is a base that is acting with the acid in the wine. ( dextrose, citric acid, calcium stearate, natural and artificial flavors, and colors)
The hoped for combo. This pairing worked.
Wine before M&Ms: chocolate and black cherry. (this wine exceeded out $15/bottle ceiling)
Wine after M&Ms: a little decrease in fruit. Chocolate notes are pronounced.
Note: made the M&Ms taste like they were made of milk chocolate
To read about what to pair with the new Dr. Who.
What is the perfect pairing for listening to Miles Davis?
What pairs well with an existential crisis?
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