Something a bit scary happens when Halloween falls on a weekend: The one night a year when kids have carte blanche in the sugar department somehow turns into party time for parents.

Every year, we help ourselves to our offspring’s trick-or-treating haul (it’s nothing short of our due, really), but we don’t usually wash down a mini roll of Rolos with a rum and Coke — unless it’s a Saturday night.

So we figured, this year, we might as well be prepared. Since it’s likely that after the children have crashed from their sugar high we’ll be enjoying a grown-up beverage with our childish treats, we want to know: What wine goes with Coffee Crisp?

THE WINE: PORT

Here’s what our wine ‘matcher’ Natalie MacLean

has to say:

Count Dracula said, “I never drink … wine.” But for those of us who don’t enjoy his beverage of choice, wine is the way to go — even with Halloween treats.

In between doorbell chimes, I like to polish off those mini chocolate bars with a glass of Graham’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port (LCBO No. 206508, $27.95). This Portuguese dessert wine, with its river of almond and toffee flavour, complements the coffee “nuances” in Coffee Crisp as well as the toasted rice “accents” in Crispy Crunch.

The wine’s voluptuous body and texture encases these little treats and makes them melt in your mouth — an excellent reason to have a spare bag of them stashed in the closet.

Ports are fortified wines with extra alcohol (this one has 20 per cent), so a little goes a long way; you only need a few ounces per serving. (Though how many servings you have is up to you, of course.) An open bottle will keep for a couple of weeks, so you can enjoy this after-dinner drink in the chilly days ahead.

Some oenophiles might also pair chocolate with a full-bodied dry red wine, such as an Italian amarone or sangiovese (which is seasonal since it translates to “blood of Jove”). However, I prefer my wine to be sweeter than my dessert; otherwise, it can taste bitter by comparison. However, my top choice is still port, with its nutty, caramel-infused finish.

The bonus is that port is incredibly versatile. It will also work with Tootsie Rolls, gummy bears, and even those rock-hard, enamel-chipping candy kisses.