Now there’s a heady combination: your favourite show, Game of Thrones, and a vast range of fine wines. An event company by the name of Bottle Shop Concepts has anticipated your deepest desires and put together a series of events across New Zealand and Australia; Aptly named ‘Game of Rhones’, this event is intended to be a celebration of both the fabulous grape varieties of France’s Rhone Valley region, and the phenomenal TV show Game of Thrones.
With a new season of this captivating TV series due for release, this could be the perfect occasion to let your hair down and indulge in some Game of Thrones cosplay. It isn’t the first Game of Thrones themed wine festival; after five successful years, the festival returns to Melbourne’s Meat Market on 10th June for yet more medieval shenanigans.
Guests will sup on the finest Grenaches, Shirazes, and Mourvedres, and white wine lovers will find plenty to keep them sweet (and tipsy) too. There are 100 different wines to choose from (both local and imported), and you can expect high quality beverages here, as there will be offerings from the classiest wine producers in Australia and New Zealand.
You’ll also be able to get fantastic ales, beers and ciders here, and no medieval celebration would be complete without a feast of charred meats and other primitive platters. As you would expect, many Game of Thrones characters will be milling around while the wine companies battle it out for the guests’ approval.
If this sounds like your kind of medieval mayhem, get your comrades together and deck yourself out in the finest Game of Thrones attire before heading down to the Meat Market to show the crowds what you’re made of.
There is a range of ticket options, so be sure to get the one that suits you best, well in advance. Ticket prices start at $60, which includes all wine tasting, a glass of delicious Plumm Red and a wine glass worth $35 for you to take home.
If you want more from your feudal festivities, you can super-style it with a Royal Pass. At $105, you’re guaranteed a good time; you’ll get a private sommelier to curate your experience, pre-event access for early starters from midday to 1pm, a food voucher, and a glass of fine wine on the house.
The battle need not end there
With the season 7 of Game of Thrones about to be released, it would be shame to throw down your swords early. Why not host your own Game of Thrones after party, or if you can’t make the wine tasting event, a Game of Rhones event at your place? No holds barred fun in your own setting, where you and your crew can embody your favourite characters for a night.
Who will you be? Khaleesi Daenerys? Khal Drogo? Jamie Lannister, or Cersei Lannister? Daenerys Targaryen? There are so many to choose from! Start the battles early by having guests bid on the rights to dress as their favourite characters, and then use the funds to pay for the food and drinks, create a raffle or prizes for a ‘predictions wager’ (see activities below), and donate to charity if there’s anything left over.
The setting
Turn your home into a medieval palace with gothic candleholders, red satin bed sheets, red table clothes, ornamental dragons and skulls, and try to source a map of Westeros to put on the wall. Invest in some plastic swords, and some gold and silver spray paint should transform them into shining examples of ancient weaponry. Arrange red, gold and silver tea lights all around the place, especially the backyard if you have one.
The ambience and the attire
You’ll want to have the Game of Thrones soundtrack playing periodically throughout the night, and perhaps some high tempo rock music to get everyone in the mood to battle. Have an ‘Olde Worlde’ chest full of accessories available for guests to soup up their outfits, including wigs, fake fur, rag and rope belts, black feathers, ‘antique’ costume jewelry, crowns and evening gloves.
The action
Hold a costume competition and have the top four nominees battle it out in a sword fight for the top spot. Play Game of Thrones trivia, have your favourite episodes running on a big screen, and play drinking games. Stage a wager: have guests place bets on what will happen in series seven, with prizes or cash dished out to those closest to the mark after the show is released.
The feast
Stretch your dining table to its maximum capacity or place several tables together to make a long banquet table. Cover it with red tablecloths and serve up a buffet of different meats on silver platters (or more cheaply with gold and silver paper plates) and wine in chalices.
Lay on a few quiches, vegetable dishes and some delicious Gothic gateau, and finally stick some sigil flags in the food to complete your banquet.
We wish you all the fun in the world for your Game of Thrones celebrations, and we’ll leave you with a snippet of ancient wisdom… watch out for those red wine hangovers – in the words of Pulp Fiction’s Marcellus Wallace, they can ‘get medieval on your ass’!
Meet Dale Pruser, our fabulous blogger who lives and breathes costumes! With boundless enthusiasm and a knack for turning heads, she’s the perfect guide to unleash your inner alter ego. Dale’s 30+ years experience in the costume and cosplay industry, make her the go-to source for finding the perfect costume. Her passion and knowledge shine through her blog posts, where she shares helpful tips on finding the perfect costume, DIY hacks to make your outfit stand out, and even delves into the fascinating history behind some of the most iconic characters. Her writing is as vibrant and colorful as the costumes she adores. With a twinkle in her eye and a wardrobe bursting with creativity, Dale dives headfirst into the realm of costumes. She lives for those magical moments when you put on a costume and become someone entirely different—whether it’s a mighty superhero, a swashbuckling pirate, or a glamorous 1920s flapper.