Experts recommend Sherry with leftover Halloween candy – really!

Please vote. I’m hoping for decisive results so we aren’t forced to go through another Bush/Gore scenario or worse. Elections should be decided at the ballot box, not by unelected tally whackers or in the courts.

I read a brief piece on Yahoo that claimed Mega Million record single-drawing sales were 302,575,350 entries, over 44 states, from who knows how many locations. The winning tickets were tabulated and the name and location of the sellers known less than four hours later. Don’t tell me that accurate voting results aren’t possible. Maybe we should all vote through the lottery system, after buying a cigar or a beer, so a picture ID is required. Yes, hyperbole!

More holiday wines are on tap today. Charlotte Louis Rogue Valley Oregon Pinot Noir 2018 is a fine buy at $17 and cheaper by the case, 88 McD points. It opens with spicy black cherry, plum and floral aromas, then tart cherry, orange zest, rhubarb and barrel spice on the medium-bodied, round palate. All supported by bright acidity through a long finish. Spent 10 months on French oak. A lot of wine for its price.

I had the pleasure of a fun and interesting tasting idea from Gonzalez Byass USA – Halloween candy with Sherry. Due to COVID-19, I’m guessing the McD house will have lots of trick or treat leftovers. Over the years, we truly enjoyed the folks in costume stopping by. Recently, for a plethora of scaredy-cat reasons, fewer kids visit our neighborhood. Do you think handing out bottles of wine to the accompanying adults may encourage participation?

Hershey claims 50 percent of Halloween candy sales are people surreptitiously buying candy for themselves. For those, and we know who we are, following are some wine selections that will enhance your enjoyment. Like Reese’s peanut butter cups? Look for GB Alfonso Oloroso Seco Sherry NV, 90 points around $20. Amber colored, with maple syrup (not Aunties or Butterworths), walnuts, apricot, vanilla and bitter orange nose. On the palate, look for a bone-dry wine with lemon and white pepper, finishing with walnut hints.

Chantal Tseng, founder of Custom Cocktails for the End Times, in D.C., recommended Payday Bars. She also taught me, “They are reminiscent of Squirrel Nut Zippers, which aren't really around anymore." Who knew? Kat Thomas, “The Wine Goddess, LV” recommends an old standby, Harvey’s Bristol Cream, 89 McD around $20, with a Chunky Bar. Back in the cheffing days, I used it to make my lobster bisque. Great with flan. A winner on several levels. 

This last, GB Nectar Pedro Ximenez, was recommended with Good & Plenty. The claim was it will contrast and bring out the savory black olive notes in the wine. I enjoyed this wine. Lovely dark golden-brown colors with green highlights and a complex, restrained floral nose. On the palate, look for orange zest, milk chocolate, white pepper and a slight, sea-breeze salt nuance. Very smooth and slightly sweet finish. I did not find black olives.

As I have written on occasion, I enjoy licorice in all its guises. Last Halloween, prior to the COVID-19 panic, the food police were touting us to cease consumption. Beware glycyrrhizin, screamed the FDA in a USA Today article by N’dea Yancey-Bragg. It was picked up by all the nanny state food nitwits. It went on. The candy can contain a chemical compound called glycyrrhizin, derived from the root of a shrub found mostly in Greece, Turkey and Asia. According to a consumer alert issued by the FDA Oct. 31, 2019, glycyrrhizin can cause the body's potassium levels to fall, causing abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, swelling, lethargy and congestive heart failure. I immediately took my black jelly beans and licorice to my compost area and tossed them onto the alar apples and mercury swordfish and bluefish. Returned to the article to learn that, “as long as you enjoy the treat in moderation, health experts say there's little to worry about.” Ants. 

Ending on a bright note, Stags’ Leap Napa Cab 2017 benefitted from low yields that concentrated the juice profiles. Complex bouquet with black fruit, cola, coffee, black pepper and barrel spice. On the equally complex palate, look for black cherry, blackberry, tea, dark chocolate, anise and mineral highlights. Full-bodied wine with proper acid/tannin frame; long, clean finish. Will improve with cellaring but approachable, 89 McD around $40. Brief reminder, this is Stags’ Leap, not Stag’s Leap.