Wine-Infused Popcorn Makes for a Boozy Movie Night Snack

Credit: Kim Crawford/Populence

Popcorn over the years has gone from being a late night afterthought to the ultimate trendy snack, and one artisan popcorn maker wants to help create a little buzz for your next movie night or get-together this summer with its latest product: wine-infused popcorn.

Populence, a gourmet popcorn bar located in New York City, teamed up with the New Zealand winery Kim Crawford to create two new wine-soaked popcorn flavors: Pinot Noir Chocolate Drizzle and Sauvignon Blanc Kettle.

"People are always picking up our popcorn for wine pairing parties," Populence founder Maggie Paulus said in a statement. "The idea of actually incorporating a high-end wine such as Kim Crawford into a unique new recipe is exciting."

In the two flavors, the Sauvignon Blanc offers a zesty, lemony taste, while the Pinot Noir Chocolate Drizzle plays to the more indulgent. Both are meant to be paired with their respective wines.

Although you won't get an actual buzz off this boozy snack, Nila Vermiglio, Kim Crawford's global marketing director, said Populence did a "fantastic" job of capturing the wines' "notes" in the new popcorn flavors.

This sweet treat isn't cheap. A one-gallon tin costs $28 in Populence's retail store and $35 on its website.

The new flavors were announced in April, but they first became available for purchase on June 21.

While Populence might have created the first ever wine-infused popcorn snack, other popcorn companies have added booze to their kernels.

Pub-Corn, a popcorn company that launched in Missouri, has been producing non-alcoholic beer and cocktail-flavored popcorn since 2008.