Isn't it time we put a bit more gustatory pleasure into the grand old feast of Hallowe'en? Children have the right idea, munching merrily through a mountainous heap of nuts, apples, grapes, mandarins (and, OK, mini-Marathons) - all for the sake of ancient custom. Why don't we follow their lead and celebrate with traditional autumn fare, matched with seasonal, or just divinely suitable, drink? This year, the apples which usually lie shamefully disintegrating at the bottom of the garden have set me off on an energetic course of experimentation with apple drinks and apple dishes - leading on to other old Hallowe'en essentials like colcannon, barmbrack and nuts. All I can say is that I wish I'd embarked on this exercise ages ago. Some of the flavour combinations turned out to be far more dazzling than your neighbour's ill-gotten fireworks.
First, what to drink at a Hallowe'en party - or perhaps to sip covertly while patrolling the pavement as the children do their rounds. Rare as the occasions are when I can be prised away from wine, this is one of them. With appley treats in season, mulled cider is the answer. It's lighter and much less wintry than mulled wine (which belongs to mince pies and post-ski thawing), but it has the same fragrant, steaming appeal. And, just in case the weather-god should shock us all with a balmy evening, there is the alternative of a cider cup, best served chilled. For both of the recipes below, I used Bulmers cider, still made in the traditional way in Clonmel and pretty good value at £2.12 a litre.
Next come some food and wine partnerships with the right sort of seasonal credentials and, I promise you, knockout tastes. Specific suggestions are listed below, but it may be worth elaborating here on a few guiding principles. To match recipes with apples, look to those parts of the wine world that are close enough to us climatically to have apple trees laden in early autumn. Germany, Alsace, the Loire . . . all produce wines capable of marrying more than happily with apples, both in savoury dishes and in desserts. Apple and pork combinations, for instance, work well with German or Alsace Riesling, or with Alsace Pinot Blanc. Step into apple pudding territory, and there's a good chance the challenge will be met by a richer, sweeter Riesling Auslese, or a lusciously sweet rendering of Chenin Blanc from the Loire's Coteaux du Layon, such as Bonnezeaux or Quarts de Chaume. "Loire and Rhine wines usually have a fruity character which complements fruit pastries, fools and cakes," Sandy O'Byrne reminds us in her new book, Matching Food And Wine (A&A Farmar, £7.99).
Colcannon, rescued from terminal neglect by trendy chefs, needs a different drink partner altogether, even when paired with some form of pork in the same way that apples so often are. Even in their driest form, the white wines above are just too sweet to have the savoury edge it needs - yet tough, tannic wines should be avoided like the plague unless you want your cabbagey delight to turn metallic. A light, fruity red is the solution - something like Beaujolais Villages, a young Tempranillo or, if you're feeling in more extravagant holiday weekend mood, a California Pinot Noir.
So to the tastiest treats of all - the liquid partners for Hallowe'en brack and nuts, which I present with a confession. Apart from recognising the delight of fino and manzanilla sherry and the hangover-inducing powers of port, I knew lamentably little about fortified wines until this column began to demand some assiduous gap-filling. I've since fallen under the spell of tawny port: the nutty, wood-aged style much favoured by port shippers but sadly neglected by their markets. It's just the thing to have to hand as you nibble, late some evening, on a slice of brack. And it is thanks to Julian Jeffs, distinguished lecturer on sherry at the International Wine Fair a fortnight ago, that the thrilling mysteries of dry oloroso have finally been grasped. You can make the bowl of Hallowe'en nuts the excuse to uncork it, but don't worry if the kids have scoffed them. It also tastes sensational all on its own.
Mulled Cider
(Makes 8 glasses)
1 litre (or 2 pints) dry cider
2 tablespoons caster sugar
12 cloves
4 short cinnamon sticks
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved and the cider is infused with the flavours of the spices, taking care not to let the liquid boil. Strain into heatproof tumblers and serve very hot.
Cider Cup
(Makes 10-12 glasses)
2 dessert apples, unpeeled and thinly sliced
10 cloves
juice and thinly peeled rind of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 litre (or 2 pints) dry cider
400 ml (3/4 pint) sparkling mineral water
Put the sliced apples in a bowl with the lemon rind, juice and cloves. Heat a quarter of the cider, dissolve the sugar in it and when almost boiling, pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Leave to cool. Add the remaining cider and sparkling water and chill. Serve minus the lemon rind but with a few slices of apple floating in each glass.
Hallowe'en Harmony
For pork with apples: whether it's pork ribs with spiced apple glaze, a la Paul Rankin, or some more homely version, this is a seasonal combination sans pareil. Set it off with Schlumberger Pinot Blanc Vin d'Alsace 1995 (Findlaters, Verlings, usually about £8.50), a quite rich and utterly delectable white wine with spicy apple flavours that will linger until All Saints Day.
For colcannon - maybe with ham or crispy bacon. Keep the budget down and flavours up by partnering it with Fuente del Ritmo Tempranillo, La Mancha, 1995 (Quinnsworth, £4.99), a damsony, slightly peppery New World-style Spanish red - quite brilliant at the price.
For apple tart: to make it extra special, you need Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese, Staatsweingut Trier, 1990 (Vintage shops, McCabes, Verlings, Karwigs Wine Warehouse, Carrigaline, usually about £13.20), an exquisite, classic wine from the Saar - honeyed, luscious and yet with perfect acidity.
For tarte tatin: the closest some grownups may come to toffee apples. A sweet Riesling is a pretty classic choice again, but just for Hallowe'en divilment try Chateau de la Peyrade Cuvee Prestige, Muscat de Frontignan, 1996 (Verlings, McCabes, Terroirs, Deveneys Dundrum, Lord Mayor's Swords, Village Castleknock, Wine Tavern Carlow, Adele's Schull and other outlets, bottle usually about £13.10, half bottle £7.15), a light and deliciously aromatic muscat from the Languedoc.
For barmbrack: current late-night addiction is barmbrack, toasted, then spread with mascarpone cheese (thank you, Darina) and enjoyed with a glass of Cockburn's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port (some Superquinns, Greyhound Liquor Store Blanchardstown, SuperValu Kanturk and other outlets, usually about £14.95). Lovely, subtle flavours and a long, toasty finish.
For nuts: not nasty monkey nuts, of course, but best-quality walnuts, pecans and brazils - with or without a nice morsel of mature and therefore suitably nutty Cheddar. Dry Oloroso Don Gonzalo, Valdespino (Searsons, £13.45) is sublime. See Bottle of the Week.