Happy Hallowine!

Some people have Halloween parties but in our neighborhood we enjoy an adult version of Trick or Treat we call '”Trick or Drink”

Once the kiddies are safely off the street, a few of us more adventurous adults don our costumes, grab our 'hallo wine' glasses and travel from house to house, demanding “Trick or Drink!”

As we wind our way down the street we gather others of our kind and eventually converge upon the home of the couple who,unfortunately, could not find a sitter for their children. It's really quite fun and being that it's Halloween there's always a lot of candy available to pair with our wine.

SUGGESTIONS TO PACIFY THE TRICK OR DRINKERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Here are some suggestions of wines to have on hand for the “Trick or Drinkers” in your neighborhood, or if you should find yourself stuck at home, pairings to treat yourself with while you hand out candy or rifle through your little goblin's sack of goodies after he or she has finally passed out from a sugar induced high.

       Of course we all know that chocolate is ghoulishly delicious and appropriate to eat with just about any red wine, but if you should find a bit of the rare 'white' chocolate variety in the bounty, save it for an Australian Shiraz! It is an amazing food pairing and is a surprisingly sinful combination even if you are under the assumtion that you don't care for white chocolate or Shiraz. Try it anyways. It's the perfect example of how food and wine change one another to bring out the best in both.

Vanilla flavored candies such as candy corn and popcorn balls are scrumptious with a creamy Chardonnay, Semillon or a sweet Riesling.

Do you love to sink your fangs into a gooey juicy Caramel Apple? Try matching the toasty flavor of the butterscotch and caramel with a Gewurztraminer or, if you prefer bringing the apple taste to the forefront for your tasting pleasure, sip a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc while you munch.

Feeling a little nutty after handing out candy for hours and and then chasing your little berzerker around the house? Put your feet up and dig down into the bowl. Unwrap yourself a Babe Ruth , Snickers, Payday or other nutty bar and pop a bottle of sweet Moscato to enhance those nutty flavors while you wait for those Trick or Drinkers to bang on your door!

Happy Hallowine everyone!