Game of Thrones & Wine

Thanks to obscure reddit thread ... aka google images

Having apparently nothing better to do than imagine what Game of Thrones characters might be swilling I thought I best record my thoughts for posterity. These things are important after all. 

I am also wondering how many people have found this post in search of actual bollocks about the series? (I do quite enjoy it aside from all of my misgivings)

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@thobiasinkblot is a keen wearer of scarves and enjoys a good Cabernet. He has been writing for Empty for ages and ages and currently can be found in an undisclosed location near London. After getting the wine bug he has a distinction in level 2 and 3 of the WSET he plans on attempting the Diploma in 2015. He also is quite fond of narratives in the third person. If you'd like to contact him email: emptyglassie@gmail.com

Tyrion Lannister: He may be small but he packs quite the intellectual punch, so he must be drinking Nebbiolo. Seems way to pale in colour to really amount to anything, but once the aroma reaches you, you might start to second guess yourself, however it is not till you taste this full bodied layered 'monster' that you realise you have completely underestimated this character.

Longview's Nebbiolo 2007 fits the bill here as it is even more out of place being from Adelaide Hills rather than Piedmont. Brick red, with intense aromas of earth, pencil lead, violets and crushed red-berries. On the palate it is full to the brim with cherries, red berries, sweet spice and earth. The tannins would almost take your face off (see what I did there?). Whopper wine that surprises and allures.

I can imagine Tyrion swirling and subtly sipping with a wry smile because he knows something you don't ... also his face might be stuck that way from insane amount of tannins.



Joffrey Boratheon - what a bollocks. He has to be here doesn't he .... Always sulking because he doesn't get his way and the world should know all about him. He is the king afterall, but he is the sum of many parts, a questionable parentage and shaped by those around him into the individual he emerges as. He is essential to the plot and a pivotal point in which everyone else must show their hand. Kind of like Pinotage.

Pinotage is one of those grapes born out of madness in an attempt to combine the complexity of Pinot Noir with the high yields of Cinsault. Didn't quite work out as planned and things got a bit messy, much like the above character. It is rare to find a Pinotage that doesn't send you running for the hills, but ...

Kanankop Pinotage 2011 - This wine perplexes me, which is probably why I 'enjoy' it. Well maybe I don't ... Still confused. Suffused with a red and blackberried fruits with sumptuous inviting oak and a hint of the evil within, a hint of rubber. The palate in its youth is very very sure of itself and announces itself with a mouthful of Raspberry and spice with tight tannins. Excellent structure and the perfect plot device for an evening of medium rare steak.

A necessary evil or a crossing too far? Either way people tend to lose their heads and the plot thickens. Pinotage. Joffrey.

Cersei Lannister - Where do I start, the embodiment of Lannister practicality and much much more. Cersei is both Machiavellian and capricious all at the same time, she is wild and pragmatic, a dangerous mix. The logical conclsion is Riesling. Now I know Cersei drinks many a red in the series, but when not under prying eyes it's Riesling. OK! ... Glad we got that sorted.

Seriously though Riesling has such a bad reputation, but everyone forgets this one of the most long-lived wines in aging potential and the structure and versatility of the grape makes makes it the King of the whites (in some people's opinion). Not too dissimilar to the long-lived Cersei.

Lanius Knab Berstein 2011 - If I mention this wine in a post one more time (maybe not even, I might start a fund-it to get this wine imported into the UK. Absolutely stunning and everything Riesling is about. Layers and layers of soil, grape and history. The kicker, you can taste it all! Lime, peach, slate and floral notes on the nose with apple, peach, minerality and honey suckle on the palate. The taste lingers forever. Impeccable structure.

Much maligned, but built to last.

Here we have it, three wines and three characters. Who knows I might even tackle Grenache next time ... never mind Gamay.