Pairing the kills from Game of Thrones season 6 finale with wine.By now you’ve come out of the glorious fog from Sunday’s GoT finale and are coming back to reality. A harsh reality where you won’t see dragons, gory kills, strategery, sexy warriors, nor lovely bosoms for about a year. After watching GoT the I LIKE THIS GRAPE team wondered, what wines could we pair with each of the individual kills? What wine properly fits the occasion, sentiment, and feeling of the killer and their kill?Caution – spoilers ahead.Cersei’s wipe out killThis was big. This was a statement. Cersei was pushed to the brink and hit back hard, and hit just about everyone. She killed the High Sparrow, her daughter in-law Queen Margery, a few Tyrells, her uncle, her cousin and a host of others who were gathered to see her tried. She unfurled mercilessly on those that embarrassed her, pushed her, and thought they had her. She watched in her decorated black, ornate leather gown as the wildfire exploded, and she stood in her window with a smirk on her face raising a glass of wine to her enemies as if to say “Cheers. I win.” This was a triumphant moment. This moment can only be paired with something like a 1947 Cheval Blanc, $7,500. It’s what legends are made of.Arya Stark slits Walder FreyWalder Frey is dining alone after a long night of feasting with the Lannisters. The slithery Frey calls upon a serving girl to fetch his sons, who, as she serves him a slice of pie, tells him “They’re right here” pointing to the pie. She soons takes off her mask and slits the throat of Walder Frey who was mind-f’d by the revelation of his son’s finger in the pie as he lifted the crust, and then immediately told by Arya that she wants him to see a Stark’s smiling face as he’s dying. It was a poetic, Shakespearean inspired kill by someone who may be unassuming to others. Arya would no doubt be drinking a Cabernet Franc from Saumur-Champigny, France. Similar to her pedigree, this Cab Franc is from one of the most prestigious appellations in the Loire Valley with charming aromatics and soft, yet unforgettable taste.Those little birdsOur dear old kind of a dirty old man who has been lying about his infirmity gets stabbed by kids. No other way to say it. He was lured into a Qyburn’s lab and a handful of nine-year olds stabbed him to death with knives. Wasn’t pretty and there was no finesse. Just rough and raw, yet distinctive in its own way. We can see Qyburn enjoying a glass of Pommard afterwards. This little village in Burgundy only produces red wine of the Pinot varietal. While not as refined as most Grand Crus, these wines have a charm about them. The suicide KingWell, King Tommen jumped out the window. The events leading up to the suicide set against the eerie leisure of the soundtrack created a melancholy mood for this kill. King Tommen was alone. His mom just killed his wife whom he loved. He alienated his mother and was alone. As he sits with the Gods staring into nothing he’ll likely be drinking a wine from Etna Rosso. The grape is Norello Mascalese, grown on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Etna (Sicily). The wines are expressive, focused, and complex.Special thanks to our friend and colleague Advanced Somm Anani Lawson for the wine recommendations. Anani is currently the wine director at the prestigious Bardessono Resort in Napa. His background includes being a professional tennis player, Sommelier at the acclaimed Per Se and Head Sommelier at the iconic The French Laundry.
