UNTITLED GOOSE GAME & GOOSE WATCH TRAMINETTE

Sometimes, you see a video game announcement and you think...wow, this is absolutely everything I need in my life. You watch the trailer, and you add that game to your list of things to dwell upon. You patiently (or impatiently) wait for more news on the game, when it might release or what actual gameplay will entail. Often times you worry that as the game goes through development, it might lose its original sense of wonder, that maybe it'll get convoluted with mechanics or content. Sometimes that happens, but other times, you finally reach that launch date, and the game is everything you hoped and expected it might be. Untitled Goose Game is absolutely everything I wanted it to be...with an extra sprinkle of mayhem of course.

Untitled Goose Game was one of my top anticipated games of the year. I realized that the game was going to drop right as I was headed to Toronto for a conference, and I knew something had to be done. I drove out to Best Buy the evening before my trip, and I finally purchased my very own Switch. So yes...I bought a Switch just so that I could play Untitled Goose Game as soon as possible. And it was worth every penny. Untitled Goose Game had me giggling to myself in my hotel room. You play as a goose. You can honk, you can flap your adorable wings, you can run, and you can grab things with your beak. What more could you want from a video game? The whole game revolves around a to-do list, which encourages you to perform mischievous acts around the village. You steal veggies so that you can have a picnic, you startle folks with your honks, and you wreak low-grade havoc. When I finished the very last task on my list, I literally laughed out loud. The music in this game deserves a whole write up of its own (oh wait...that exists! Check out this article by the Verge). The composer of Untitled Goose Game chose to adapt Debussy's Preludes, but the music plays dynamically with the goose shenanigans. I can't remember the last time I heard classical music in a game, much less in an excellently utilized way. It's ingenious, and perfect. Untitled Goose Game is an absolute delight, I can't think of many other games that are as simultaneously pure and chaotic.

I couldn't resist pairing this game with a wine from Goose Watch winery. The theme is just too strong to ignore, and the traminette is wonderfully unique (just like Untitled Goose Game!). Goose Watch Traminette is a light, dry white wine with vegetal notes like green onion and herbs, a bit of tartness like green apple, and a lingering note of spice, like black pepper and green pepper. This combination is a perfect trifecta that Untitled Goose Game nails as well: full of greenery, tart, slightly sweet, and a bit of bite. This is my first time trying a traminette, and I must say that it really stands out amongst the varieties of white wine. If you have yet to try traminette and you're a fan of dry whites, I highly recommend it. Taking a sip of this wine transports me to a wonderful summer picnic amidst soft grass and green apple trees, that is occasionally interrupted by a troublesome honking critter.

Go try this pairing out. Trust me, everyone deserves this treat.