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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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Blueberry Blues

Posted on May 11, 2013 by lilliebette

Hello!

Do you notice anything different? Well? It’s ok if you don’t but…let me just point it out.

I now own this domain name! Now it is even easier to find this little home of mine. You should expect a new look too in the coming weeks with a few twists and maybe some boxes where you can type things. I enjoy this blog a lot, so I want to work on its look. It’s time for a spring makeover anyway.

I don’t know why I am talking about spring…it was 80 degrees yesterday, so it is practically summer. Summer can be a rough time, depending on where you live. In DC, it is horrible. The hot air clouds your judgement and your skin oozes sweat and you can’t think. The only relief is a cool white wine and the sweet berries that grow this time of year. This pairing is dedicated to inevitable heat and all the sweaty, sweet things that come with it.

The Candy: Blueberry Licorice, Panda

Blueberry Panda

 

The Wine: Paradise Spring, Sommet Blanc, 2011

IMG_1506The Dream:

This wine is bubbly and I imagined how delicious frozen berries would be plopped in the glass. When I saw the blueberry licorice, I figured it was an obvious choice. A crisp wine, not overly sweet, would benefit from the tart blueberry. Granted, I was dealing with candy and not blueberries so there was some risk involved.

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The Reality:

I tried the licorice first and was hit by the soft, grainy texture. The blueberry flavor did not overwhelm and I was surprised by the touch of anise at the end. The candy works, but I knew straight off this was going to be a challenge. I had imagined something more sweet andI honestly did not think there would be an anise flavor. Even though it said licorice, I thought they would make it like strawberry licorice and not have any anise.

The wine has a bouquet of crisp, clean Macintosh apples. The bubbling, light wine dances on your tongue with the subtle apple flavor. I highly recommend this wine. It’s pricier, but it is one of my favorites.

I took a sip with a piece of licorice still in my mouth and didn’t notice any relationship. It was not bad, but it wasn’t really good. It just was. Sam really liked it, so his taste buds clearly have a different opinion. That’s the cool thing about tastebuds. Even when I think I am wrong…to someone..I could be right.

Take Away: Gummy textured candy continues to elude me…someday…

 

 

 

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A Minty Xmas and a Malbec New Year!

Posted on December 25, 2012 by lilliebette

Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday / winter break. Whether your opening presents or cursing capitalism, I wish you the merriest of days. If you want to be EXTRA merry, you can try out the pairing below. I’m writing this on December 22d, but it should post ont the 25th. I am pretty proud of myself for being so organized. Although I mostly have this done because we delayed traveling by a day…

This turned out to be very tasty and an excellent choice. I hope you’ll try it. You may not being able to buy wine today but there’s always Boxing Day!

The Candy: Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses & Mint Hershey’s Kisses

 

A Very Mmminty Christmas

A Very Mmminty Christmas

The Wine: Agua de Piedra, Malbec 2011

Malbec, It has Been Too Long

Malbec, It has been Too Long

The Dream:

As you may recall, we have tusseled with mint candy in the past. The pervious success worked with a port, since it is so heavy and fruity. The rich heavy flavor washes away the mint. Otherwise, the mint will dominate the wine’s flavor. It is just yucky.

Merry Merry

Merry Merry

But I didn’t want to repeat my success(especially because I can’t afford Port at the moment), so I chose the other heavy wine I adore: Malbec. My favorite type of Malbec is rich and juicy. I liken it to eating a delicious chocolate cake. Occasionally you get a weaker one and that would not work with a mint pairing. I tried my luck on this bottle. I had tried the other Malbec’s in the store (surprise surprise), so I moved on to something new. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The Reality:

The wine is perfect-it is smooth and rich with hints of blackberry. There is a slight sweetness that fills the mouth. It dominates the senses, which is a good sign for our pairing. It reminds me very much of the El Presidente that succeeded in the last mint pairing.

The candy cane Hershey’s Kiss is not especially strong. It’s minty, but mostly sweet.  With a sip of wine, the peppermint remains but wine holds its ground. I credit this to the white chocolate which balances the intensity of the peppermint. Even the bits of candy cane sprinkled in the kiss feel faint when surrounded by this white gold.

The mint hershey kiss is more of a challenge since its entire center is bright green with mint. The Malbec and the mint mix nicely, with the wine maintaining its flavor. The mint remains strong, but since the wine is so heavy and rich it isn’t dominated. They flavors melt into each other.

The Take Away: Both Port and a rich Malbec pair well with mint! See, we are learning!

~Happy Holidays~

 

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Mexicano Chocolate & Shiraz (but not the one in Iran)

Posted on December 19, 2012 by lilliebette

Hello,

I have been on a chocolate kick lately and I am sorry but it’s staying that way for awhile. You can call it whatever you want and in regards to jokes about women and chocolate, let’s just say there is no amount of wine to make them funny. And I’m realizing that chocolate is not always that easy to pair. Chocolate has so many varieties and textures. It can be coated in candy, encased between graham crackers and put on top of ice cream. And although red wine and chocolate is a safe bet, it is not always going to be a slam dunk.

I am sorry chocolate, for thinking you were so easy to understand. Can we start over?

Before I begin, I have to do a shout-out to my friend who gave me some chocolate to pair. Not only is it delicious chocolate, it is coffee chocolate.  It was super nice of her and I encourage everyone to..uh..do that. Anyway, I also had left over Xmas M&Ms from making my gingerbread house. This splash of Christmas cheer is a bit of a warm up for next week’s pairing.

The Candy: Dark Chocolate Mexicano-Coffee

Delicious AND circular

Delicious AND Circular

AND Xmas M&Ms!

Tastes Like Christmas

Tastes Like Christmas

The Wine: Nugan, Third Generation Shiraz, 2011

Not to be confused with Nugat

Not to be confused with Nugat

The Dream:

Mmmm shiraz. A delectable fruity wine I don’t know too much about. I always associated it with being light, but that is because the name flies off the tongue. It sounds like a dance step. At any rate, I thought the distinct fruit flavors would liven up the coffee and chocolate.I knew the Mexicano chocolate had a subtle coffee flavor, so I worried the fruity shiraz would throw off the coffee flavor. I tossed in the M&Ms at a whim, because they were simply on hand.

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I know you guys can see my reflection in these photos. I can’t pretend otherwise.

Let’s see how it went.

The Reality: 

The first prominent taste in the Shiraz is the pleasant and familiar bitterness. It reminds me of the skin of an orange. The bitter flavor transitions into a bursting of rich pomegranate. It pops on your tongue.

The chocolate is flaky and dark with a slight crunch. It is rich and coats the mouth. The aftertaste is definitely coffee. After I take the sip of wine, the chocolate fairs pretty well and the bitterness decreases. It is still there, but faint instead of commanding the taste buds. The coffee flavor in the chocolate is weaker too. The pomegranate and chocolate flavors meld nicely, but it wasn’t quite the effect I wanted.

The M&Ms taste extremely sweet in comparison to the dark chocolate. The wine gets increasingly bitter with the M&Ms staying true to their very very sweet form. It is actually ok, but not amazing.

This pairing went well all things considered. The flavors were interesting and a little unpredictable. A coffee chocolate may be more suited with a port, but I could be wrong.

The Takeaway: I recommend a fruity wine with a darker chocolate, though you may not get all the initial flavors.

And as promised, my gingerbread house!

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(Peanut Butter) Cup of Cab

Posted on November 17, 2012 by lilliebette

Readers,

It is holiday season (what! NO!) so life is hectic so expect a dramatic drop in posts. I hope that won’t be the case, but it has been several weeks since my last post so the forecast isn’t favorable. To be fair, there were quite a few things going on in my life but I digress. I am back with another hit.

I admit, I cheated slightly with this post. I had a glass of the wine the night before, but the candy inspiration came from a friend. Lazy and not feeling up to thinking about pairing, I asked someone for suggestions and she said Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Now, before you lose your hats, I didn’t do Reese’s since I knew the wine would just drown it out. Instead I picked Newman’s Own Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. The chocolate is richer and the cups are stronger. I love Reese’s, don’t misunderstand, but I did not think it would go well with a cabernet sauvignon. I would like to try it with a chardonnay potentially.

The Wine: EB|GB, 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon

This label is so EDGY right?

The Candy: Newman’s Own Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Paul Newman your legacy lives on through your delicious 

confectionsThe Dream: 

I already explained my reasoning somewhat, but I will go into further detail. The reason I chose Newsman’s over Reese’s is due to a combination of texture and flavor. Newman’s peanut butter cups are firm and leave little residue behind. This gives a better tasting experience. It’s also a matter of chocolate quality. Milk chocolate and a peppery cab just don’t mix well, especially Reese’s chocolate. It is flimsy and too sweet (and THIS is perfectly fine). There is also a lot of the peanut butter filling and it is very sugary. I would like to try them with a dry chardonnay which can compliment the sweet chocolate and peanut butter.

That was a long explanation. Let’s get to the tasting!

The Reality:

 

EB|GB has blackberry notes that hit the pallete sharply, ending with a smooth finish. The flavors tingle slightly on the tongue with a hint of coffee. The peanut butter cups have a thick chocolate exterior with smooth and nutty peanut butter underneath.

This pairing is pleasant. Dark chocolate and red wine is usually a safe bet, but the addition of peanut butter is a challenge. It’s pleasant, but the wine looses it’s smooth finish. Oddly, the peanut butter coats the mouth with a strange after taste. The berry wine flavors add a richness to the wine although the tartness undermines it slightly.

It is not a complete home run, but it is delicious. Unfortunately I took a lot of negative notes. Woops.

 

I think I will go ahead and do the Reese’s pairing for the next post. Why not? I have nothing to lose but my sterling reputation.

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Sip Down Nostalgia Lane

Posted on June 29, 2012 by lilliebette

I am on vacation right now and today is my last, sunny, happy day. I’ve enjoyed every minute of mojitos, skinny dipping, and bitter games of Monopoly. But I have not forgotten my duties.

Nostalgia hides itself in strange ways. While in a candy store, I came upon a candy called Zotz. It’s a fizzy, sour candy that I ate during the 90s. I forgot about it until I saw it in the store of candy memories. I had not done a challenge with a fizzy partner, so it met my loose criteria.

The wine also has a story behind it. Smith College, my old stomping grounds, started producing commencement wines in 2011. They weren’t half bad, so I picked up a red and a white. Needless to say, memories had a big influence over this pairing.

The Wine: Smith College Cayuga White, 2012

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The Candy: Zotz! (watermelon, cherry, apple)

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The Dream:

The white wine seemed like an ideal pairing for the sour candy. It’s usually refreshing and with a touch of sweetness. Naively, I imagined that the sourness would play delicately with the sweetness of the wine. And I imagined the fizziness could create a neat champagne effect. Makes sense, right?

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The Reality:

It wasn’t exactly bad. I just wouldn’t repeat or recommend it.

The Cayuga has a fruity, sweet and silky flavor. It slides of the tongue like a milk chocolate. The lasting flavor is tart, a sharp and surprising contrast to the syrupy quality.

The candy is an 8-yr olds dream. At first, it’s a sweet hard candy. After a few dances on the tongue, the insides begin to fizz slowly out with a strong, sour taste. Once you bite in, you find the remaining bubbles hiding inside. All of the flavors taste the same, as most 50 cent candies do.

But these two do not play well together. The wine is unpleasant and bitter after the Zotz. My stomach churns, rather perturbed by the acid attack. I think sour candies are tough, but maybe there are other sour mediums more suited to this challenge.

Get excited for an account of the winery Sam and I visited while on vacation. It was a fun tasting session and a beautiful location.

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Zinful Indeed

Posted on June 17, 2012 by lilliebette

Hey there!

I did this pairing a week ago and I thought I could get it posted by Monday. But it turns out I have a job as well as a blog and it just didn’t happen last week. I hope you forgive me.

To make up for my absence, I have an excellent pairing for you. As you may remember, I paired it with the premier of True Blood. With the second episode airing tonight, I am not too off base. If you don’t know the show, that’s ok because watching it is not a prerequisite for enjoying this pairing.

I like the idea of TV pairings because TV and wine already go well together. Add some candy in the mix and you have an excellent night. As some of you may remember, I blogged during the season premier of Mad Men. Your next TV pair will most likely be for Breaking Bad (rock candy, anyone?).

Hopefully you’ll catch this post before the next episode of True Blood. If not, we have a whole, bloody season ahead of us.

The Wine: Cardinal Zin, Zinfadel, 2010 California

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Last season featured some religious figures behaving very badly…the wine was a natural choice.

The Candies: Godiva: Milk Chocolate Dipped Strawberries; Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry

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For a show about vamps, having a candy with a red filling was a natural choice.

The Dream:

The chocolate with red filling of any variety was the basis for this pairing.  The “bloody” factor. Originally, I wanted chocolate covered cherries but I couldn’t find them (I only looked two places–oops). That little accident ended up being a happy one. In terms of wine, a zinfadel instantly came to mind. It’s fruity with a deep, strong flavored while maintaining a lighter quality. Boyfriend’s family love zin so I know it fairly well. The time was up for ignoring my zin.

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Obviously, this glass is amazing.

 

The Reality:

There a moments when I’m doing this blog where I am filled with false confidence. I think, wow, I’m super good at this. I had one of these moments with this pairing. I was with people I just met, so having this work felt really good.

The zin has a light sweetness and a slight tang. It does not go down smoothly, but it’s full, rich flavor makes up for it. Some wines are meals unto themselves whereas others are a perfect pairing wine. This wine was the later. It’s a great summer wine, light while still flavorful.

The chocolate is pretty much what you would expect. I need to start doing some edgy candy, but I put the shopping off so Ghiradelli and Godiva it is. The dark chocolate I liked the best, since it’s so rich and the raspberry is a tangy surprise. It pairs really well with the wine since each has a very simple pallet and they compliment each other. The rich chocolate with the tangy center compliments the full flavored wine. Since the chocolate isn’t very sweet, I can still enjoy the sweetness of the zin.

The Godiva I don’t like very much since it is milk chocolate. I just don’t like milk chocolate. It feels too sweet and the strawberries are rather meager. I hate to pair milk chocolate since I already dislike it, but I wanted to provide variety. It certainly isn’t terrible and a friend enjoyed the pairing. I think the wine had such full flavor that it overpowered the meager milk chocolate.

I will be going on a real vacation soon. I can’t promise a pairing in the near future, since I’ll be prepping for going away and then I’ll be gone. I’ll also be away from the Internet. I’ll try to scrounge something up, but no promises.

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Rollin’ with a Cab

Posted on May 13, 2012 by lilliebette

I’m patting myself on the back right now since I am working on yet another post. But I shouldn’t get too confident. I got a few new likes and followers so I have an audience to impress now. No more funny business! (errr..lots more funny business if we are realistic)

After my Chinese disaster I decided to pick the “low hanging fruit”, to borrow a phrase that everyone at works says. My inspiration is fairly basic. At work, we have a treat table and someone brought in Tootsie Rolls. I knew instantly this was my next challenge. I love Tootsie Rolls. They are unique and a brand unto themselves. Unlike candy bars which are merely new combinations of basic components, a Tootsie Roll is its own entity. You have to respect that, even if you don’t like them.

And I think I may have done it justice.

The Wine: Raven Wood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

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The Smithies will know why I picked this wine: Raven’s Used Books.

The Candy: Tootsie Roll, Midgees

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Chewy, Chocolate Perfection

The Dream:

A Tootsie Roll is intensely chewy and chocolate (chewcolate?), so a red felt more practical. A smokey Pinot was the initial choice, but I chose this Cab instead. The label claimed it was fruity with a touch of spice, which I thought could bring out some interesting flavors from the Tootsie Roll. I’ve never thought Tootsie Rolls had one flavor. They are very deceitful in that they surprise you with a lemon, tangy flavor at the end. To be honest, I hoped the spiciness of this cab would be more pronounced than it was, but it worked out for the better.

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The Reality: 

The wine smells like cherries and a slight blueberry scent. I did not detect any spice, which initially disappointed me. The first taste gave me hope. It’s light and tart. The wine has a bite but it goes down extremely smooth and then dries out the tongue. The flavors flirt with you. All teasing and no commitment. Tootsie Rolls are the exact opposite. You chew one and you think, “This is chocolate” but suddenly this almost soapy taste is left in your mouth. And both flavors are extremely intense. You’re left thinking, what happened here? It isn’t bad, but it was not how you started. This wine cleanses the palet and flies off your tongue, washing away the thick Tootsie Roll.

 Coming up next: I’ve been challenged to pair a Rose from Spain (Cava), so that will be the next pairing. I think it will come at the right time as the DC/Maryland summer creeps upon us.

Welcome and a hearty thank you to my new followers/likers. Cheers!

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A Wedding, Some Wine and Gummy Bears

Posted on May 10, 2012 by lilliebette

Friends,

This is a post purely in honor of my friend Sarah who got married in Portland, Maine. It was a small wedding and I had the privilege of helping her get ready. As a reward, she provides some wine and candy.

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It was tangy, chilled and perfect for the occasion I thought the gummy bears went alright since they were so tiny. This isn’t a proper review but more a gift to the lovely couple.

I couldn’t imagine a sweeter pairing.

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