Like a red with your Red Wedding? Game of Thrones wines are coming, maybe
There is no crisis in Game of Thrones that cannot be made better with a cup of wine but after another gripping and grim episode do we need a drink to go with our favourite character or house?
A Sydney marketing firm of fans thinks so.
The firm, Common Ventures, has created a series of wine labels and marketing for a dozen red and white varieties of wine under the ruling label of ''Wines of Westeros,'' dedicated to the houses from the George RR Martin books and television series.
But anyone hoping to throw down a Dothraki red and watch some reruns with the claret flowing on the screen will have to wait. The company is still in talks with some small, independent Australian wineries to make the wines. And then there is the small matter of approval from the show's maker HBO.
Co-founder of Common Ventures, Damian Damjanovski, says the company hopes to follow the lead of beer company Ommegang Brewery and get permission to market the wines from HBO.
Ommergang Brewery's most recent beer Fire and Blood, a red beer, was released in the US in March to coincide with the beginning of the fourth season. Common Ventures hopes to have its own HBO-endorsed wine ready for the fifth season next year.
Mr Damjanovski said the firm had begun talks with HBO over the project but will not proceed without approval - lest it get given the King Joffrey crossbow treatment.
''We understand HBO are quite open to approaches like this,'' Mr Damjanovski said.
Labels include a dry Targaryen shiraz, a Stark white sauvignon blanc and a more calculating Lannister merlot. Each label is accompanied by a brief explanation about its name and wine association.
For the Stark wine, named after the stoic family, there's a nod to the infamous Red Wedding: ''Winter is coming. Throw on your furs, summon your direwolf and reject all wedding invitations.''
Also in the sauvignon blanc is the Greyjoy, named after the tough seafaring family and their weak-kneed son, Theon: ''Pick fifty of the best killers, your fastest ship and sail up the Narrow Sea. Whether you’re Ironborn or a tortured plaything, it’s time to take what is yours.''
For the house of Lannister the tagline is: ''When your cellar is filled, you will know the debt is paid. Be wary of incest and betrayal - a sip of this wine may be your last.''
Mr Damjanovski said the project began as something fun to fill in the time between advertising deadlines and other work for staff who were fans of the show.
He said the response so far, without a drop of wine produced, has surprised him.
The wine varieties are not set in iron, with several houses sharing the same wine variety at the moment on Wines of Westeros website, and Mr Damjanovski said there was already some social media debate about whether a Stark wine should be a sauvignon blanc or a cabernet.
''One of the debates we have struggled with is whether to make them more generic or to get them to match carefully with the characteristics of each house,'' Mr Damjanovski said.
He said the label designs were a modern take on the house names rather than mock medieval or from the TV series.
Expressions of interest for ordering can be made online only via a ``send raven'' email button. The average price of a bottle is expected to be $20-$30.
