Hello Kitty Wine Is Now A Thing
Hello Kitty, whether she is a cat or a little girl dressed as a cat, is definitely a wine lover. And now, there’s proof. Thanks to Sanrio, the company that created the character, and Torti Winery in Italy, there is now an entire line of Hello Kitty Wine.
According to the LA Times, Patrizia Torti, whose family owns the winery, said some people from Sanrio tried her family’s wine at a restaurant, then contacted her to produce a Hello Kitty wine. The Times reports that the family has been setting aside some of its harvests since 2007 to create a Hello Kitty label for Sanrio.
Sanrio released the following statement regarding the new line.
“Sanrio consistently looks for products and engagement points to continue to deliver something new and unique to fans. The Hello Kitty Wine collection has delivered a new experience to the adult fan and is a licensed product from Europe, produced in partnership with Torti Wines. It has had limited distribution in the United States since 2010. The collection is currently available at specialty wine and grocery channels, and is currently served exclusively at Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana, CA.”
The new wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, creating a sparkling Hello Kitty rosé. The family is also offering a sparkling Hello Kitty white wine made with Pinot Noir grapes only that, according to Torti, were individually hand-picked. The line includes six wines altogether, including Sweet Pink, Cupido, Rosè, Rosè Collection, Charmy, and Lady.
Hello Kitty Wine Is For Grown Ups Who Don't Want to Grow Up https://t.co/cu3LxseGn5 pic.twitter.com/k9yP7MxIi8
— Travel2Next (@travel2next) October 19, 2016
“My father and my sister take care of the production, from the soil to picking the grapes,” Torti told the LA Times. “We produce a special bottle with a heart, only for Hello Kitty.” Torti noted that the wines are not a limited-edition item, adding that she and her family plan on making many more, in addition to expanding distribution.
Those who are interested can find the Hello Kitty wines by the glass and by the bottle at Antonello Ristorante and specialty grocery stores. Customers can also purchase bottles to go.
Antonello Ristorante owner Antonio Cagnolo created a special menu to accompany the new line, which is available Oct. 12 through Nov. 12.
“We worked diligently with the Sanrio people to pick and choose the right combination of food for the special wine,” Cagnolo said.
The wine-focused menu includes Hello Kitty-shaped watermelon slices, served with micro greens, feta cheese, and honey; a pink bowtie pasta with a four cheese alfredo sauce, and a flourless chocolate cake also shaped like Hello Kitty.
As far as reviews go, Popsugar’s LA-based video producer Nicole Iizuka claims, “The Rosé is very sweet, but not cloyingly so. It smells fruitier than it tastes, and the color is really pretty. The Hello Kitty Angel Wine is a very refreshing and easy to drink white that also had notes of sweetness but is very sippable chilled. It’s good for Summer and would be nice with fish, or chicken, or loads of veggies.”
This isn’t the first time Ms. Kitty has branched out. In July, the Hello Kitty-themed Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo in the Shinjuku neighborhood of Tokyo introduced a Hello Kitty breakfast complete with Hello Kitty carrot coins, Hello Kitty croutons, sausage and vegetable sandwiches made on Hello Kitty-shaped bread, and an omelet branded with Hello Kitty’s face.
Hello Kitty also debuted her first ever pop-up café in the form of a pink food truck, serving customers Hello Kitty birthday cake, Hello Kitty cookies, Hello Kitty apple pie, chocolate opera cake, Hello Kitty coffee, Hello Kitty vanilla custard tarts, Hello Kitty petit fours, iced mocha lattes, Hello Kitty pocket pie, Hello Kitty strawberry mint lemonade, and Hello Kitty strawberry shortcake.
[Featured Image by kieferpix/Thinkstock]
