The cast of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones has a set of characters that always have an excuse to drink. Whether it’s to get through being tortured like Theon, being marched through the streets stark naked like Cersei, getting your hand chopped off like Jamie or dying and coming back to life like Jon; this lot truly do deserve a goblet of some strong Dornish red.
And their fans now have the chance to partake in the drinking going by the celebrity news available online. Word is that the pay TV network HBO, through its global licensing arm, on Tuesday announced that they are partnering up with Santa Rosa, California based Vintage Wine Estates and will release Game of Thrones branded wines.
Be Tyrion Lannister’s Drinking Buddy
This gives the fans an opportunity to feel like they are Tyrion Lannister’s drinking buddy, in reference to Peter Dinklage’s frequently drinking character on the show. A fact that can be backed up by any Game of Thrones avid viewer same as how the Lannister family downs most of the wine in the series.
Considering the various drinking games based on Game of Thrones available on the web nowadays– for instance, one where you have to take a sip whenever a nude body or a sword appears– you can definitely see that there is potential for a vast market. Also, given that the show’s fans will have to wait longer than usual for the seventh season, this could mean that the wines could be eagerly embraced following their release.
The Prominent Role of Wine in Game of Thrones
According to Jeff Peters, the director in charge of licensing and retail at the series’ network HBO, having an officially licensed wine for Game of Thrones feels like a natural development for them. This is due to the prominent role that wine has on the series as well as the fact that they have also had previous success in the beverage sector under the GoT brand. Peters added that the Game of Thrones wines will definitely add on to the fans involvement with the show, which is based on the battle for the Iron Throne, even as it heads into its final seasons.
The Seven Kingdoms Range of GoT Wine
The Santa Rosa based winery that will produce the wines is a family owned venture that also owns other wineries all over the state of California including the Swanson Vineyards and Clos Pegase. They were also in the news recently after acquiring the 21-year old Delectus Winery in Napa Valley.
Information available on the wines indicates that they include a reserve style upmarket Cabernet Sauvignon, a red blend (not to be confused with the Red Wedding) and a Chardonnay in a 750ml bottle. Also dubbed the Seven Kingdoms range, the wines are expected to be released into the market next spring with the pricing expected to range in between $20 to $40 which is a pretty good bargain for wine enthusiasts.
Medieval Themed Wine Bottle Labels
The labels on the wine bottles are also made elegantly in keeping with the show’s medieval fantasy theme and feature engravings in gold representing the lions, stags and dragons battle scenes. Those familiar with the widely watched show will identify the battle scenes from the series’ opening theme where the beasts represent the marks of the major families in the show. These definitely make for very attractive packaging but ask any Game of Thrones fan and their suggestion would be to have the famous Lord Tyrion Lannister quote “That’s what I do: I drink and I know things” stamped on them.
The Ale Inspired Beer Brewing Precedent
In 2015, HBO had a somewhat similar partnership with Omnegang, a brewery based in New York. This partnership is what the HBO retail director Jeff Peters was referring to as a previous success in the beverage sector that has set the precedent for the wine production venture. There were a series of beers released by Omnegang that paid homage to the hit show that also features quite a bit of ale drinking. The drinks were named Fire and Blood, Iron Throne and Seven Kingdoms Hoppy Wheat Ale.
Conclusion
Celebrity news outlets have Game of Thrones’ viewership over the last season of the show at about 23.3 million. This sizable number of viewers can make the wine venture very successful given that many would definitely want to emulate the wine drinking characters. Most notable among these is the conniving Tyrion Lannister with his unforgettable quotes including the now relevant “Everything’s better with some wine in the belly”.