ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD & PROPHECY PINOT GRIGIO
This. This game. So much is to be said for the latest installment in the Zelda series. I didn't buy a Switch for myself, but I did wait in line with my friend in the frigid wee hours of the morning to pick up a system for our office (I have the lucky job of working for a game development company). And don't think that I didn't pick up a copy of Breath of the Wild for the Wii U while I was at it. I was so excited to get out of work on Friday night, nestle into my papasan, and start unraveling the newest story of Link. This was one of those games that I just didn't want to finish. From the moment I picked it up until the moment I completed the story, every discovery within the game was a delight. The weather, new outfits for Link (I REALLY love dressing up characters), cooking (COOKING!), countless Koroks spread across the land, wild rams that will headbutt you out of nowhere, and the absolutely stunning soundtrack (I have listened to that Stone Talus theme song on repeat at length).
A game like Breath of the Wild deserves to be paired with an equally bright, nature evoking wine. I had been walking through a wine store a few weeks previously, and I had noticed a new brand called Prophecy. Now, as an artist, I have no shame in admitting that I am a huge sucker for packaging, and wow did this label pull me in (yes, I judge books by their cover). I am in love with the design, and I think it fits well with the theme of the Zelda series. Thankfully, what's inside the bottle is just as good as what's on the outside. The lovely notes of citrus in the pinot grigio make me think of the bright sunny vistas, and the tropical fruit notes match with my memories of picking up bananas and palm fruit along the coast. There's a refreshing hint of grass and minerality too, which fits perfectly with expansive wild lands surrounding you on all sides. A+ wine for an A+ game!
My main critique for Breath of the Wild? I'd like twice as much story so that I could spend even more hours logged inside the breathtaking world of Hyrule.
What would you pair with Breath of the Wild? Do you have another favorite Zelda game that you'd pair wine with?