Move over champagne gummy bears: The newest adorable way to get drunk is Hello Kitty wine.
That's right; everyone's favorite Japanese cat has now expanded her empire (which includes nail polish, underwear, and soaps, just to name a few), to include her own line of wine. Sanrio, Hello Kitty's parent company, has teamed up with Torti Winery in Italy to produce both blush and white wine varietals under the Hello Kitty label. The wines have been almost 10 years in the making, according to Patrizia Torti, whose family owns the winery. She told the Los Angeles Times that Sanrio executives tasted their wine, and then approached the family about creating a wine specifically for Ms. Kitty. They started setting aside the grapes for the line back in 2007.
The United States' offerings currently include: A rosé, a white wine, a sparkling white made from pinot noir grapes, and—the real star—a blush sparkling wine (naturally) made from a combination of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. "My father and my sister take care of the production, from the soil to picking the grapes," Torti told the Los Angeles Times. "We produce a special bottle with a heart, only for Hello Kitty."
And, as it turns out, those special bottles are very hard to come by. The wines developed for the U.S. are currently only served at one place in the entire country (and, surprisingly, it's not the Hello Kitty Cafe): Instead, it is Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana, California. Hello Kitty wines are available there by the bottle and by the glass, and customers can also buy the bottles to go. Starting on October 12, the restaurant will also debut a special menu to accompany the line of wines, including a salad with watermelon cut to look like Hello Kitty, and a Hello Kitty-shaped flourless chocolate cake. If you can't make it out to Cali, the wines are also available at a limited amount of specialty wine and grocery channels.
Bottoms up!
