How to pair wine with your favorite Easter candy

Because building a Peeps diorama can be a lot more fun with wine than without it, we thought we’d help by providing a guide to pairing wine with Easter candy. The guide was curated by former winemaker Ryan O’Connell, who now works for NakedWines.com, an online wine retailer that funds independent winemakers around the world. It may come in handy when you’re trying to decide between a red or a white after your Easter egg hunt Sunday. And yes, by Easter candy, we mean Peeps, Cadbury Creme eggs and even jelly beans.

Peeps (classic flavor)

O’Connell suggests balancing the sweet candies with a wine that’s also sweet “but not too structured.” He suggests a sparkling wine, like a Prosecco, that has just a touch of sweetness.

>>The secret life of a Peep

Blue raspberry Peeps

Flavored Peeps tend to taste artificial. In order to balance that sweetness, O’Connell recommends the deep, real berry flavor found in a ruby port.

Milk chocolate bunny

Chocolate and wine pairings are nothing new. But if you’re going to be eating the ears off of a sweet milk chocolate bunny, O’Connell’s go-to wine is an Italian ripasso-style wine called Appassimento. The wine is “extra ripe and almost raisiny delicious.” That’s due to the winemaker sun-drying the grapes in order to concentrate the flavors.

>>VIDEO: How to pair wine with chocolate

Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs

For a wine that can match the sweetness and nuttiness of a chocolate peanut butter egg, O’Connell suggests a sherry-style dessert wine.

Cadbury Crème Egg

Some Easter candy is simply too sweet to pair with a sweet wine. So O’Connell chose a bone-dry, but fruity Beaujolais for the Cadbury Crème Egg.

>>How to pair wine with Girl Scout cookies

Mini Robin Eggs

These chocolate-covered malt balls have a distinct flavor and crunch that require just the right varietal. “Big intense Petite Sirah plows over the malt ball flavor and rounds out that rich milk chocolate feeling,” said O’Connell.

Jelly beans

If you’re planning on indulging in a handful of jelly beans Sunday, try eating them with a crisp, cold Pinot Grigio.

I don’t feel the need to wait until 5 p.m. for wine. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Jenn_Harris_

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