Taco Bell Wine Sells Out in 11 Minutes

Credit: Taco Bell

People really like wine and tacos, I guess.

What is it about Taco Bell exclusives that drives people crazy? I mean, I like Taco Bell fine, but it seems like whenever they get some kind of limited-edition item, everyone’s gotta be first in the neighborhood to have it. Special drinks, new menu items, and now the inexplicable taco wine have all drawn forth the hordes.

If you missed the memo, Taco Bell announced recently that they would be selling a special wine in some of their Canadian locations. Taco Bell locations, specifically their “cantina” restaurants, have sold alcohol for a while now, but that’s not the interesting part. The interesting part is that this wine, aptly named “Jalapeno Noir,” was commissioned specifically from Canadian vineyard Queenston Mile to pair perfectly with Taco Bell tacos. Well, they do say wine goes with cheese. 33 cases of wine were made for this special event, priced at $25 Canadian a pop. The sale site went live a couple of days ago, and then promptly closed 11 minutes later because the wine was all gone.

Strange as this whole situation may seem, Queenston Mile’s president, Andrew Howard, though it would be a fun opportunity to change peoples’ perceptions on wine as a fancy, exclusive drink.

Credit: Queenston Mile

“Democratizing wine and making it more available is what the wine industry should be doing more of,” Howard said. “Some people will wonder why we’re pairing with a fast-food chain, but I think it’s brilliant, and it makes wine more accessible for people and makes it part of every day.”

Taco Bell, for their part, were pretty chuffed with how the whole thing turned out. “I think having this toasted cheesy chalupa with aged cheddar and associating it with a well-known winery in the area is really a special promotion,” said Kat Garcia, director of brand marketing at Taco Bell.

The reception to the promotion went so well, that Taco Bell is considering getting another run of Jalapeno Noir in the pipeline. “We intended this to be limited-edition, but given the coverage and the interest, we’re very open to acquiring more wine if we can,” Garcia said. According to Wine Spectator, Queenston is already on board with a second run, and has even begun the bottling process.

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