We can probably preface this entire story with a single word. Japan. Home of uniquely absurd and gaming collectibles. Despite knowing this, this one is still a bit bonkers.
I will be the first to admit, that after years of being a games journalist, I have very few of my senses remaining in tip-top condition. Any palate I once had has long since dissolved away, and I will freely admit that all wine tastes largely the same to me. Red, white, it matters not, but I do like a gaming collectible.
Japanese retailer Onkyo has just released two limited edition wines that have been aged in their barrels while having the soundtrack to NieR Automata pumped through the wood into the juice beyond. Presumably this pounding anime soundtrack has excited the molecules and brought out some unique flavor – I’m getting hints of bullet and a waft of neon.
These wines are described as “Music Shaken Aged Wine” and are labeled 2B and 9S after the game’s characters.
From looking at the images on the site it seems that an amplifier and a speaker were attached to each barrel with wires dangling off them that make it look like a massive bomb. Personally, I would be sending on one of those robots to investigate before accepting a glass of this plonk.
Including tax the bottles sell for a smidge over $75 at current exchange rates (12,000 Yen) and you can get them shipped abroad. This doesn’t seem too bad for a unique gaming collectible and the package also comes with a limited edition NieR glass as well, which is more of a tumbler than a wine glass I think, but I am not a sommelier, so who knows.
If you are looking for an extremely quirky gift for that gamer in your life, well you aren’t going to beat this in a hurry. If NieR isn’t for you we did look at a Fallout backpack recently as well.