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Love, with Instructions

Posted on February 14, 2014 by lilliebette

Hi All! Whether you are drinking with your love or you are drinking with your single buddies (don’t drink alone y’all) I have a pairing just for you. Sorry this post is a little late in the day but I already have a new pairing for my next post.

This pairing is literally a no-brainer. Sad to say love is not always this way, but hey, one can dream.

Shout out to my friend Seana who got me these chocolates. Feel free friends to give me candy WHENEVER you want.

The Wine: F. Stephen Millier, Angel’s Reserve, Zinfandel, 2012

Zinfandel, 2012

Zinfandel, 2012

The Candy:

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Pairing Chocolates

The Dream:

I won’t even pretend you guys. The chocolate said Zinfandel on it. Sooo.

The Reality:

The wine is a bit bitter but with the ripeness of a plum. It’s not a remarkable Zin but still good. The chocolate itself is quite bitter and dry. There’s a slight kick at the end but I don’t think that’s intentional.

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I wasn’t sure how this was going to go considering the chocolate was so dry and chalky. But the chocolate actually enhances the flavor of the wine. The chocolate goodness combines with the wine to smooth out some of the bitter notes. The chocolate also melts a bit and it is very enjoyable.

So there you have it–unfortunately love can’t always be easy, but pairing can be!

xoxo

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Keep Calm & Pair On

Posted on February 8, 2014 by lilliebette
Keep Calm & Pair On

I’m sorry for the title you guys but I am featuring a British candy and, well, it had to happen. Plus the Olympics were in London last time and they are happening now…but I don’t have Russian candy. But I did feature a homophobic candy in my last post so maybe that counts..?

The candy we paired was described to me as smelling like Grandmas or tasting like how Grandma’s perfume would taste…which is creepy. What’s creepier is that I knew exactly how to pair this and I did so swimmingly.

The Candy: Parma Violets, A BRITISH CLASSIC (maybe?)

The Wine: Sarao Brut Cava

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The Dream:

The pairing was TOO easy you guys. The name plus the grandma reference gave me the perfect vision of this candy in my mind. Obviously it would be violet as well as extremely floral. I knew it had to be a very dry Cava. I hopped on my W Club membership and plopped a Cava into my cart. Yeah I buy my wine online. It’s not a big deal. I am very lazy.

The Reality:

The candies indeed taste like grandma’s perfume and have a chalky texture. They are not quite as chalky as conversation hearts however (which I will NOT be pairing by the way). By themselves, they are not anything remarkable. They could be a nice palate cleanser and they are not unpleasant.

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The wine is sweet and, of course, fizzy. I was a bit concerned by the sweetness. I did not want it to knock the flavor out of sync. But when I tasted the wine while chewing the parma violet the combination fizzed delightfully together. It made the candy slightly sweeter but not achingly so. Overall, I think it improved the candy because who doesn’t like a little fizz?

Overall, a success! My next post will be less of a risk but a bit more romantic just in time for a Valentine’s Night in.

P.S. Also, an exciting announcement! I got into grad school for a MPH–that’s right, public health! This is SUCH a healthy blog after all.

 

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Feeling Jelly?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by lilliebette

Hello again from the snow-dome that is Washington, DC right now. I have a special post today featuring a special candy I recently had to give up.

I have fewer memories I am more found of than the days my dad brought home a box of Jelly Bellys. The Type-A that rages from me daily loved how each flavor was sorted in a little box. When the jellybeans rolled out of their proper place I always had to resort them. Well, I fear my box buying days are over. It was recently revealed the Jelly Belly company is run by raging transphobes/homophobes. Unfortunately, several months early I had bought Jelly Bellys. So, we are having one last hurrah.

Special thanks to Nicole for helping me out on this special project during her visit.

Wine: Indaba, Chenin Blanc, 2012

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Candy: Jelly Belly, Hello Kitty & Regular Mix

IMG_0236The Dream:

I wanted a light wine that had a slight fruit flavor to compliment the Jelly Bellys. Obviously, I could not break down each flavor so I focused on Hello Kitty. The tart flavors of erm, pink and red (jk, bubblegum, cotton candy, apple, etc) would balance out the light, fruity chenin blanc. I also have never had Chenin Blanc before so this was a good excuse.

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The Reality:

The wine is not very sweet with a slight pear flavor along with the tartness of a Granny Smith apple skin. It’s quite unique–I hope to pick it up in the future.

Hello Kitty: The flavors do not throw the wine. I won’t break down all the flavors because they really act like a group. The tart-sweet flavor of the HK Jelly Beans works well with the Chenin Blanc.

Regular Mix: The wine is seriously thrown by the regular mix. There are way, way too many flavors. I think if you are going to pair Jelly Bellys in the future, go with the themed flavor packs. I think the Hello Kitty ones are a great place to start…if you still want to support Jelly Belly that is.

 

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A Weird Start to a Weird Year

Posted on January 5, 2014 by lilliebette

Happy New Year!

As promised, I am getting this post out to you before upcoming events and weekends sweep me away. My candy bowl is getting really full so I am going to make an effort to be extra vigilant to pair more often. This upcoming pairing is definitely odd. I have never heard of this candy but I found it back in November and knew I had to feature it. I can’t really say the pairing was good or bad—just unusual. Starting the New Year off right (really weirdly)!

The Wine: Chardonnay, The Wonderland Project, Vintage 2012 “La Reine Blanche”

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Long Live the Queen

The Candy: Abba-Zaba, Peanut Butter Filled Taffy (Strawberry & Plain)

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The Dream:

Wow. Peanut butter-taffy filled taffy….pretty wild. I picked the Chardonnay because I thought the dry sweetness would compliment the salty peanut butter. Chardonnay can really cleanse the palate and compliment a dish. I thought after chewy salty-sweet taffy, the Chardonnay would offer a nice clear flavor to relieve the tastebuds.

An Inside Look

An Inside Look

The Reality:

Both taffies are incredibly chewy because, again, I bought them in November. I really should have paired them immediately. The strawberry is has that unnatural saccharine sweetness with a touch of tartness. It reminds me a lot of strawberry laffy taffy which obviously makes sense. The peanut butter is good on its own–it’s that cheap sugary peanut butter you find in Reese’s. The candy is just bizarre on the whole. It’s like a train-wreck in your mouth–you really should stop eating it but it’s just so horrifying you can’t stop.

The wine is light, sweet and not very dry. There are some prominent pear notes with a nice hint of lemon. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t say it is my favorite Chardonnay. I do love that label though. When paired with the strawberry it is light and refreshing but does not add anything. I sort of ripped open the taffy to get more of the peanut butter but I don’t know if that helped.

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The plain taffy really doesn’t have anything going on. It is in fact plain. I would have preferred at least a vanilla or something because it is so much chewy taffy before the peanut butter. Again, the wine is perfectly fine. I think you lose a lot of the flavors of the wine because your  mouth is just so confused by the taffy. It’s like someone interrupting you when you are really busy and you have no idea how to respond. After you swallow the taffy the wine is delightful but I think I am just happy I am no longer eating the taffy?

I don’t know guys. It was a weird ride. I ate this taffy so fast as well. If you are not allergic to peanuts, I would try this candy just for kicks. I really have no clue what a better wine would have been. I think the fact the wine didn’t taste absolutely awful with the pairing is a success.

 

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Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by lilliebette

Howdy! I hope you are having an awesome January 1st. I have been neglectful but my first act of 2014 will be a blog post by next week!

Liz

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Merry Merry!!

Posted on December 25, 2013 by lilliebette

Hey y’all. As you can plainly see, I do not have an update! Life got in te way. But may I wish you a merry merry Christmas! See you in the new year.

Xo

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Pinot Noir & Later

Posted on December 7, 2013 by lilliebette

Hey all! I hope you had a happy holiday and didn’t suffer at the hands of your families. We are looking down the barrel of awful weather but perhaps you already experienced it. Remember to stay safe and keep off the road, especially if you try the treat below. I hope to include some Christmas candy soon, but honestly I have so much candy in my house right now to pair that I may not. I mean, Xmas candy is pretty much the same…chocolate, mint, etc. Been there, done that.

If you are my age, it is very likely you indulged in the candy I am featuring today. Additionally, you may have forgotten about it so here I come with a real blast from the past!

The Wine: Cava Pinot Noir, 2009

IMG_2535The Candy: Now & Later

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The Dream:

A pinot noir cava! How exciting! I immediately picked this wine for the pairing because of how unique it sounded. Also, being a cava, it has a nice lightness and the pinot noir offers a fuller flavor. Now & Laters are extremely sweet and chewy, so I did not want anything too sugary. The cava pinot noir offered the ideal balance.

The Reality: 

The pinot noir is bubbly and the bitterness is a bit off putting initially. I think of the wine you sip at church and that distracts me. After a few sips, the flavor flattens out into a pleasant sweetness. It is difficult to get any flavor notes or distinct flavors. And you definitely can’t blow through a glass of this–it’s a lot to take in.

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Let’s break this down by Now & Later flavor:

Cherry:

At first this pairing isn’t that impressive, but when the bubbles interact with the candy it adds a little sweetness to the pinot. The effect is not at all unpleasant, though I am not necessarily eager to keep eating.

Grape:

Though this is tasty enough, it doesn’t add anything to the wine that is remarkable or worth noting.

Watermelon:

I enjoyed this pairing a lot. The tartness of the watermelon adds a kick that lightens the sometimes bitter pinot flavor.

Apple:

Not good. The combination creates an unwanted liquor flavor. Blech.

Well, there you have it! A classic candy from my kidhood which brought back found memories of gooey candy bits stuck in teeth. Hopefully, I will have another post up before the holidays!

See you later! (see what I did there?)

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10 Cheap Moscatos

Posted on December 7, 2013 by lilliebette

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Make it a Double (Chocolate)

Posted on November 24, 2013 by lilliebette

Hi Folks!

It has been awhile! The holidays are just around the corner so I thought I would provide you something super sweet to try. And it is extra boozy in case you need to self-medicate while spending quality time with the fam or while watching your favorite team lose. I will be with someone else’s family which is certainly less stressful. In fact, it is incredibly entertaining! I hope you have some fun plans.

I found this pairing’s candy at Candy Village, a store in a local mall. Unlike my August splurge in Indianapolis, this was a fairly reserved grab bag. I bought a variety of chocolates filled with delectables. I however screwed up the purchase so instead of a champagne filled chocolate I got an espresso bean one. Oh well!

The Wine: Layer Cake, Garnacha, 2010

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I had to indulge!

The Candy: Chocolates with the following fillings: Blackberry Rum, Rum, & Espresso Beans

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Undressed

The Dream:

For this pairing, I picked up a Layer Cake Garnacha. Layer Cake has a distinct chocolate flavor and their reds are incredibly rich. Instead of doing opposites, I wanted to draw like-to-like to change my typical approach. Since every chocolate was different, I had to be able to at least match one flavor note from the wine to the chocolate….and so I went with chocolate.

The Reality:

As predicted, the chocolate note comes surging through on the first sip and then smoothes out into a raspberry tang. It is slightly unexpected and almost like biting into a fruit filled chocolate. I love Layer Cake for this experience. It is a fairly affordable wine that truly is its own meal.

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Blackberry Rum:

The chocolate has a firm crunchy shell (and I didn’t even freeze them!) and has little flavor. The liquor is more sweet than sharp. When the wine and liquor filling meet, the wine is very unhappy and sour. But if you sip after you eat the chocolate, it is a double berry delight. Yum.

Rum:

The shell is again fairly flavorless and crunchy. The pure rum is rum alright and I prefer it over the blackberry. But when the rum and liquor meet the wine goes sour. Sipping after eating the chocolate didn’t add anything either.

Espresso Beans:

This was my favorite pair. There is a slight minor throw of flavor when the wine hits the coffee bean but it is mostly pleasant. After eating the chocolate, the coffee-chocolate flavors layer nicely with the wine.

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Well the espresso bean bought on accident edited up being the star player! I will have to return to try more of the offerings though honestly the chocolates weren’t that great. Next pair will return to this blogs pure, candy roots!

 

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Melodramatic Monday Post

Posted on November 4, 2013 by lilliebette

Hello and happy post-Halloween

Yes, I didn’t make a Halloween post which is a bit terrible. Or is it? Because I seem to see quite a few wannabes around Halloween touting supposed candy-pairing knowledge. I guess I felt a bit disgruntled and frankly, I didn’t want to look so unoriginal. I do this year ’round so hmph. Anyway, thanks for being my loyal followers.

Annnnd you might just question that loyalty with this pair! Blech. Blech. Blech. So who wants to get negative? Getting negative is one of my best traits, so lets hop to it!

The (Gross) Wine: Abadia de la Oliva, Granach 2012

Sailor Moon Bad Choice

Sailor Moon Bad Choice

The (Quite Tasty Actually) Candy: Trolli Apple O’s

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The Misguided Dream:

I picked the wine first. I only have gummy candy to choose from at the moment (besides some chocolate I’m saving for a later post), so I chose the red because that is my new obsession. Ever since my red-wine gummy breakthrough, I go for the red.

Out of all my choices, I got the Apple O’s because I imagined their sweet-tartness balancing out the granacha. In my experience, a granacha is not too fruity or sweet, so I did not think the candy would throw the flavors.

The Cruel Reality:

I did not like this wine. The tannins overpower the taste buds and only the most bitter flavor notes survive (for example, an unripe blackberry…not tasty). It was like biting into something not quite ripe, like an apple that was picked too soon. My lips puckered and not in a good way. Dear manufacturers of this wine: pump the breaks on the tannins. Pump. The. Breaks.

Lovin' the pics this round though

Lovin’ the pics this round though

If we want to be technical, this pairing was good. But we are being negative! The candy mellowed out the tannins and made the wine much smoother to drink. But the candy needs to be in your mouth to help. If you swallow the candy then boom, tannins. Too many tannins. And ultimately, I don’t want to help the wines I pair….I want to enhance an already great wine! This isn’t a buddy I am helping out with math homework. I don’t owe this wine any favors! Anyway…this is getting too personal.

The Take Away:

I am going to put a little more thought into these pairs. I have this wine subscription, but I am relying too much on the wines I get through that. Instead of the exploration and the puzzle, I just grab a wine from my subscription and one of my many candies I keep around and meh….that’s not as fun! This blog and I need to go back to the early years and relearn what we loved about each other.

This got too personal again.

 

 

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