00:00Blessed be the fruit? Not quite. A Handmaid's Tale wine collection was canceled almost as
00:05soon as it was announced due to social media backlash. Earlier on Tuesday, People revealed
00:10that MGM and wine seller Lot 18 were releasing a collection of wines inspired by Hulu's
00:16The Handmaid's Tale, including two reds in tribute to Elizabeth Moss and Alexis Waddell's
00:21characters offered in Off Glen, and a white vine for Yvonne Strahovski's character Serena Joy.
00:26Under the eyes of the marketing team at MGM, the copywriters clearly went to town with
00:31their descriptions, describing Offred's Pinot Noir as rich and complex, and a wine that will
00:36stay with you long after you've finished your glass, and a powerful experience you will never forget.
00:41Off Glen's Cabernet was teased as a daring testament to the heights that Oregon cabs can reach,
00:46featuring concentrated flavors of cherry, plum, and coffee bean that give way to a warm, spicy finish.
00:52And most fancifully of all, Serena Joy's Bordeaux Blanc was sophisticated, traditional, and austere.
00:58And while the wine may initially come off as restrained, a few sips reveal it to be hiding
01:03layers of approachable white grapefruit and lemongrass, backed by weight and concentration.
01:08Though the producers may have considered the wine a bit of harmless fun, social media was less forgiving,
01:13and the backlash on Twitter was harsh. Pundits queued up to slam the promotion as tone-deaf at best,
01:19and egregious capitalism at worst. The backlash was so intense that MGM and Lot 18 had pulled the collection
01:26by the end of the day. For more on this story, head to THR.com's Preda Reporter, and be sure to let me know
01:31your thoughts on this in the comments. Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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