Yes, you read correctly…but these donuts are not your average fried dough with a sticky glaze on them; they are lovingly hand-crafted beauties that taste as good as they look. They are called Hypnotic Donuts (www.hypnoticdonuts.com) and you can find their info on Twitter and Facebook.

Here’s the line up of the donuts tasted: #1) Cookies & Cream – White frosting and crumbled Oreos, #2) Canadian Health Care – Maple frosting with REAL bacon crumbled on top, #3) Mexico – White frosting with fresh jalapenos and a drizzle of Tabasco, #4) Lucy in the Sky with Lemons – Lemon frosting with crushed lemon candy and white chocolate.

The wines were: #1) 2007 Pinot Noir from MacMurray Ranch, California, (www.macmurrayranch.com)  #2) Granite Reserve (no vintage date) Cabernet Sauvignon from Fall Creek Vineyards, Texas, (www.fcv.com)  #3) 2007 Chardonnay from Robert Oatley, Australia, (www.robertoatley.com)  #4) 2009 Moscato from Beringer California Collection, California, (www.beringer.com)  #5) 2007 La Cuvee des Marrons Madera “Red Dessert Wine” aka “Port” (but for legal reasons, can’t call it port) from Calais Winery, Texas (www.calaiswinery.com).

First up was the Pinot. I have always said that when in doubt, choose Pinot Noir. The smell was full of blueberry, cherry, brown sugar and cloves. The taste was blueberry, cranberry, a hint of roses and vanilla. Very soft in the mouth but you could taste it all over your mouth, it  didn’t just hit your tongue and then leave.

Pairing #1 with the Oreo donut. Both the taste of the donut and the wine did not change very much. Both were well-balanced.

Pairing #2 with the bacon. The wine did not change the donut, but the bacon brought out a fruity acidity in the wine, maybe more cranberry.

Paring #3 with the jalapeno. The wine dulled the earthy, spicyness of the jalapeno but brought out the sweet in the donut.

Pairing #4 with the lemon. The wine made the donut more tangy and less sweet.

Overall, the Pinot Noir did not disappoint and was a good choice for all of the donuts.

The second wine was the Cabernet Sauvignon. The smell was tobacco, plum, vanilla, and dark cherry. The taste was earth, plum, black cherry, menthol and most of the taste was in the back of the throat and it came cleanly off the tongue.

Pairing #1 w/ the Oreo. The wine smoothed out the sweetness of the donut but added an earthy flavor. Perhaps I was tasting more of the coco in the cookies.

Pairing #2 w/ the bacon. This was perfect, the wine kept its dark fruityness and the bacon kept it’s sweet, smokey goodness.

Pairing #3 w/ the jalapeno. The wine kept the earthyness of the pepper but toned down the spicy and the sweet of the donut.

Pairing #4 w/ lemon. The wine balanced the citrus acidity in the lemon but the donut overpowered the fruit in the wine.

Overall, I was surprised at how well the wine paired with most of the donuts. But this is not a big bold Cabernet, it is very drinkable and the alcohol is 13.8%. If the % were any higher, I don’t think any sweet from the donuts would have come through.

The third wine was the Chardonnay. The smell was citrus, honeysuckle, pear, and apple. The taste was a lighter version of all of the smells with a bright acidity (citrus influence).

Pairing #1 w/ Oreo. Both the taste of the wine and the donut were dulled. The donut added a little more citrus flavor to the wine.

Pairing #2 w/ bacon. The wine gave the donut a zesty flavor but the wine seemed dull.

Pairing #3 w/ jalapeno. The wine did not change the donut very much and the donut covered up all of the fruit in the wine.

Pairing #4 w/ lemon. Finally! a good pairing! The donut added a bright citrus to the wine and made it “pop”.

Overall, not good. This wine is a lovely Summer wine. Very refreshing. But I kept wanting a more fruity, oaky full-bodied Chardonnay. Again, looking at the alcohol percentage, it was “low” at 13%. The donuts kept overpowering this delicate wine.

The fourth wine was the Moscato. The smell was hibiscus, plumeria,and honeysuckle. The taste was raspberry, orange, honey and lemon.

Pairing #1 w/Oreo. Very nice balance in the sweetness of both the wine and the donut.

Pairing #2 w/ bacon. Loved the sweet smokey flavor the wine brought out in the donut. However, the donut enhanced the lemon flavor in the wine…it was not bad, it was just surprising.

Pairing #3 w/ jalapeno. Good pairing and a citrus flavor was added to both the wine and the donut. The hot, spicyness of the donut was tempered.

Pairing #4 w/ lemon. The best! I thought I was eating a lemon meringue pie and there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that! The wine was still fruity and sweet.

Overall, very good. The rule of thumb is that your wine should be sweeter than your “dessert”. In this case your breakfast ;-).

The fifth wine was the Madera “Port”. The smell was nuts, brown sugar, earth, tar. The taste was nuts, lemon, cinnamon, brown sugar, clove and molasses.

Pairing #1 w/ Oreo. The wine smoothed out the sweetness of the donut but the donut enhanced the sweetness of the wine.

Pairing #2 w/ Bacon. The wine made the donut heavenly! The donut made the wine sublime!

Pairing #3 w/ Jalapeno. The hot, spicy donut was mellowed by the wine. Both retained their sweetness.

Pairing #4 w/ Lemon. The donut’s tangyness was toned down but the Madera’s citrus flavor was enhanced.

Overall, excellent.

Like I have said before, these donuts are not your “garden variety”. In fact, the idea came to me to do a wine pairing while my hubby and I were in line waiting to put in our Hypnotic Donut order and started talking to fellow “Hyppie D” devotee, Julie. She said she was bringing them to a dinner party for dessert. So the gerbils in my head started kicking into gear and here I am, about to go into a sugar/wine comatose so you too can experience the wonderful and surprising world of wine and sporkable food. PLEASE, only try this at home or at a friend’s house that doesn’t mind you bringing a sleeping bag!  ENJOY