What do I love more than wine, a good wine pairing of course! I just recently hosted the second annual Girl Scout Cookie wine & beer pairing party, because how can you resist indulging in adult beverages with a Girl Scout Cookie?! If you haven’t done this themed party before, I HIGHLY recommend it – so fun! There are wines and beers that I would never drink, but when paired well, they were delicious!
But I digress 😉, I’m so excited to share with you my favorite wine pairings for four of our granola bars. This idea came about last year when I was working an event in Whistler, Canada (remember those days, pre-COVID?!) and working in my hotel room about to eat my evening Pardon Me Granola Bar, and I thought, “oooh, this might taste good with a glass of wine and I could really use a glass of wine…”. So, I poured myself a glass of Pinot Noir and enjoyed my evening snack. It was the perfect pair – the Pinot Noir was bold and smooth with flavors of cherry that works so well with the chocolate and dried cranberries in the Pardon Me Granola Bar.
Since the Pardon Me paired so well, I thought maybe the other bars would too! Here are my recommendations and how I taste the pairings, please keep in mind that my expertise comes from driveway drinking, granola bar snacking and having a very specific pallet for flavors. Therefore, you may notice that my preferences are pretty elementary, but I prefer to call it “accessible” 😊. Also, this isn't a promotion for the wines that I choose, it's just what I like to drink.
Pardon Me – Pinot Noir, like I mentioned before. I’m in love with the Josh Pinot Noir. This is also the wine I learned to drink reds on.
Sharing is Caring – Sauvignon Blanc, again I love the Josh kind. This pairing works so well because of how well-balanced each of them are. The Sharing is Caring Granola Bars is not too sweet, but not boring either with unsweetened coconut, chopped almonds and whole dried cranberries, making it the BFF to a refreshing and aromatically crisp glass of Sauv Blanc. I particularly like Josh Sauv Blanc because it’s out of California and not New Zealand making it a softer, clean finish.
Golden Rule – Chardonnay, this was one of the hardest pairings for me to figure out. I was struggling with how to compliment this best-selling granola bar. The Golden Rule is jammed packed with rich flavors of chocolate, white chocolate and unsweetened coconut, so I needed a wine that could stand up to it. I ended up choosing the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay because it’s medium-bodied and smooth with a slight spice. It’s complex yet inviting and could hold it’s own with the flavorful Golden Rule.
You’re Welcome – Prosecco, this one was almost a no brainer. The You’re Welcome Granola Bar is such a soft-flavored bar, it paired wonderfully with the easy-going prosecco. The You’re Welcome is full of fun Fall flavors like apple, pumpkin, dates and butterscotch and the Prosecco has a refreshing acidity and touch of sweetness. It’s the perfect pair for a Sunday brunch. Grab your girlfriends, pop some bubbly and serve them each a granola bar that they will for sure love - You’re Welcome! 😉 You could even pull from the dessert blog and put a dollop of cool whip and fresh strawberries on it.
Give them all a try and see what you think! Wine pairings can be so personal to what each person likes, so I can’t wait to hear how you like to pair your favorite bars. No matter what you do, just enjoy, relax and have some fun - share that kindness around!
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