Wicked Good Spirits for Hallowe’en

Hallowe’en gives us all an excuse to indulge our sweet tooth. It’s not just for kids, either! Stores and bakeries are full of every sort of sinfully decadent candy and pumpkin-inspired dessert, so the temptation is just too much to resist. Perhaps there’s some leftover candy at your house, or maybe you just happened to pick up a special dessert on the way home. As Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything except temptation.”

Here are some of my favourite suggestions for pairing dessert wines with sweets when temptation beckons . . .

CAVE SPRING SELECT LATE HARVEST RIESLING VQA

Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A.

Grapes that are harvested late in the season will have a higher sugar content and maximum flavour. This beautiful dessert wine starts off with honey, lemon and apricot aromas, echoed on the palate along with lanolin and lemon curd. Rich, satiny and luxurious, it offers an ideal accompaniment to blue cheeses, pate, or pastries.

Dessert 12.5% • LCBO Vintages# 415901 • $24.95

TAYLOR FLADGATE LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT

Douro Valley D.O.P., Portugal

Port is made like other wines, with the difference that grape spirit brandy is added during the production process to arrest fermentation, resulting in a fortified, sweet dessert wine. Port is the classic wine pairing for dark chocolate or rich cheeses like Gorgonzola. Add a bowl of nuts, and you have dessert without baking anything! You will savour rich aromas and flavours of plums, toffee and a bit of smoky oak.

Dessert  20% • LCBO# 46946 • $21.30

WAYNE GRETSKY ESTATES SALTED CARAMEL CREAM LIQUOR

Ontario, Canada

One word describes this Salted Cream Liquor: WOW! It has flavours of spun toffee and maple walnut ice cream with a kiss of salt. Pour it in your coffee, over cake, or dip cookies in it. It reminds me of being a kid, munching on spun toffee. But I’m glad that I’m an adult and old enough to buy it! Apparently, it will keep until 2030, but who are we kidding here . . . at my house, it disappears quickly!

Dessert 17%  • LCBO# 18524 • $35.95

NALEWKA BABUNI CHERRY FLAVOURED WINE

Poland

A traditional Polish dessert wine with delicious maraschino cherry aromas and bright cherry flavours. It comes in an attractive decanter with ribbon and a wooden stopper. Serve it with Sacher Torte for an unforgettable flavour party in your mouth!

Dessert 18% • LCBO VINTAGES# 559062 • $25.10

RUFFINO PROSECCO

Veneto, Italy

A delicate Prosecco with fresh aromas of apple, peach and citrus. The creamy palate gives notes of peach, apples, lime, mandarin orange and biscuit, with fine bubbles and a lingering finish. The wonderful characteristic about Prosecco and sparkling wines is that they go with virtually every type of food, due to their crisp acidity. That includes potato chips and cookies, which just might be lying around at #Hallowe’en.

Sparkling 11% • LCBO# 467811 • $21.95

 HAPPY HALLOWE’EN!

For more wine and food discovery from Jane Staples, visit www.bellovinoj.com