The Handmaid’s Tale launches a line of wine, and yea, we need a drink
The Handmaid’s Tale — “Women’s Work” – Episode 208 – A sick baby tests Offred and Serena. Janine finally faces Naomi. Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) and Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), shown. (Photo by: George Kraychyk/Hulu)
Serena Joy – Bordeaux Blanc
Serena is Gilead’s supposed perfect example of a Commander’s wife, “sophisticated, traditional and austere.” Serena is this, but so much more. As opposed to the sweet Riesling she ordered while taking a trip to Canada with her husband, Serena’s Bordeaux Blanc is a restrained white wine, at first. Give it some time, though. With time, the wine, like this icy Gilead wife, becomes approachable. Then again, we’ve discussed at length that there are some definite problems with Serena Joy. All we need to say is “The Last Ceremony.” We’d get it if you don’t want to celebrate Serena’s character with this wine. If anything, it is a choice for non-red drinkers to sip on to just get through whatever horrors we see next on The Handmaid’s Tale.
Suggested food pairing: Roast chicken with green herbs, because Serena would go for something basic
Suggested episode: “Women’s Work” begins with the progress Serena and June have made working to finalize Fred’s work while he’s in the hospital. In this time, Serena and June have somehow become close. They open up about pre-Gilead life and — gasp — compliment each other. In a strange way, you could almost picture these two in an office before the days of blue and red. When Janine’s child Charlotte, called Angela by her Gilead parents, falls ill, June begs Serena to help by letting the birth mother be with her child. Serena not only gets this in motion, she petitions for a Martha, who used to be the country’s top neonatologist, to help the child. These are things no faithful Commander’s wife would do. Serena’s actions show cracks in the system, and cracks in her loyalty to it as well.
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The blends have a limited availability, so get a bottle or two while supplies last at Lot18.com/TheHandmaidsTale.