Sugar Rush: Populence Organic Sauvignon Blanc Kettle Corn

[Photographs: Niko Triantafillou]

Wine and popcorn are not two things commonly eaten together, unless you like to smuggle a bottle of Pinot under your coat on trips to the local cineplex. Populence, the one-year old, New York-based organic popcorn company, is hoping to change that fact very soon. They have teamed with New Zealand winemaker, Kim Crawford, to create a Sauvignon Blanc kettle corn.

The bright yellow colored Sauvignon Blanc Kettle Corn ($2.50) has a flavor that's new to me: slightly less sweet than a typical caramel- or sugar-coated popcorn but with a bitter aftertaste from the wine. But I'm not sure I could detect the type of wine used in the coating if I didn't already know what it was.

In addition to the wine flavor, Populence sells seven other varieties at their retail store on 8th Street, and also have a website where you can order gift tins and other items. The standard kettle corn flavor (without the wine infusion) is also very good with an effective sweet-saltiness, but it's also less sweet than you'd expect.

Though I enjoyed the  sweet variations, my favorite flavor was the 100% savory jalapeño cheddar ($2.50). The jalapeños bring some real heat and the cheddar coating tastes like real cheese. The garlic rosemary ($2.50) coating was also interesting, and the taste reminded me—in a good way—of the flavors of a good roast chicken.

Populence

1 West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011 (map)

212-995-9055
populencenyc.com

About the author: Native New Yorker Niko Triantafillou is the founder of DessertBuzz.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @DessertBuzz.