Tituss Burgess of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Doesn't Suffer Wine Snobs

Titus Andromedon's music video for "Peeno Noir" was easily our favorite moment from the first season of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. After the sublimely silly and still-supremely addictive song went viral, Tituss Burgess deftly capitalized on Andromedon's "ode to black penis" by launching his own brand of pinot noir earlier this year. He followed Pinot by Tituss by releasing two more wines, Pinot Pride and Rosè Pride, during NYC Pride Week in June, donating all proceeds from three days of events to GLAAD and Equality Florida to support the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, that same month.

According to a press release, Pinot Pride is a "2014 California Pinot Noir with lychee, kola and red fruits on the nose with hints of baking spices, wildflower honey and cacao. Flavors of red fruits are accented by wisps of cedar and leather." Rosé Pride, meanwhile, is a "refreshingly crisp 2015 California Rosé with flavors of garden-ripe strawberry, crunchy pear skin and morning dew kissing wet stone."

We recently hopped on a quick call with Burgess for a wine-focused chat.

MUNCHIES: Before we talk about your wines, let's start with a little personal drinking history. Do you remember the first time you tasted wine? Tituss Burgess: It was at church, for my communion. [Laughs.] But the real first time was after my sophomore recital at college. I was about 20. I remember we got a bottle of wine and I wasn't too keen on the taste. But we still had a really fun time. And that's what my knowledge of wine and how I enjoy it has been informed by. For me, it's about the social experience that comes with drinking a wine.

You wouldn't classify yourself as a oenophile, then. Oh, I know absolutely nothing about tasting notes and all that! I tell everyone that. But I know what I like, I know what tastes good to me. I'm not a sommelier. I'm a more of a party-ier than a sommelier.

Do you have a favorite wine varietal or region, though? It depends. I do a lot of hosting at my own apartment, and I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, cooking. So whatever dish I'm making will ultimately dictate what kind of wine I'm serving with the meal. But outside of pairings, what I'm drinking is all about the theme of the evening that I'm creating.

What's a recent example? When my first wine launched back in March, I hosted a spring, picnic-y party. And I used the pinot as a brine for ribs, and I used it to make my own barbecue sauce. I think that barbecue sauce is the best thing I've ever come up with. Maybe I'll put that out one day. It was really fucking good. That reminds me, I also made a riff on a mimosa with my rosé, with some carbonated water and a little orange juice. It was deeliiiiiiciiioussss.

What foods do you like to pair with your wines? With both of the pinots, I tend to pair them with steak or burgers. I made a really great lamb burger the other day and paired it with the Pride Pinot, which is a different blend than the first.

And for the Rosè, shellfish goes so well. It goes great with salads, too.

The success of "Peeno Noir" was the impetus for your wine brand. Are you tired of talking about the song? Oh, it's part of the experience. I'm not so much tired of it, but I've come to expect it now and that's fine.

Did you expect it to be so popular? Not at all! I didn't know what to expect. But when something becomes a part of pop culture, it can take on a life of its own. I've just tried to have fun with it. That's my approach. But I definitely didn't expect it to stick to the wall.

So, how did the idea of starting a wine brand arise? Were you approached to do it? Oh, no. I'm the author and finisher of my fate. This was my idea. I'll tell you who approached me: my fans. I was getting so many pictures of them holding a random bottle of pinot and writing lyrics to the song, which by the way is actually an ode to black penis. But few people seemed to connect it to that; it was almost all to wine. So I thought, Why I am giving so-and-so vineyard over in Italy that I've never heard of so much publicity by sharing these photos when I could have my own wine? So that was the genesis of the idea.

What was your level of involvement in choosing the wines? I picked all three wines myself. The winery is in Santa Barbara. When we visited the first time I crawled back to the car, I was so tipsy. But we sampled about 13 different wines, and the first pinot noir we released was about the third wine we tasted that day. And I told everyone, "We can stop. This is the wine." And they were like, "No, no, no. Try them all to be certain." So we tried them all, and I still picked the third.

You knew immediately. Right away. I wanted something that didn't taste cheap, something that was at a good price point, something fuller-bodied, something that I would personally choose to drink at home. Without the knowledge of the blends or any tasting notes, I just went with my gut. I've done a lot of drinking in my day, so I know what's good. Like I said: party-ier, not sommelier.

If there's ever a sequel to "Peeno Noir," that needs to be used. [Laughs.]

How do you view the wine industry? You know, I feel that the wine industry can be a very elitist party. I don't have any desire to be invited to that party. So I created my own party.

What do you want the message of your brand to be? My wine is intended for people to have fun. When I was coming through the ranks, I never thought of wine as fun. It was always this sophisticated thing that I didn't understand, and I would just have someone order for me at a fancy restaurant. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a wine shop or cellar and stared at the wall for an hour, not knowing what the fuck to buy. That's why I needed a bold-ass label, too.

You're a LGBT activist. You donated all proceeds from the launches of Rosé Pride and Pinot Pride to GLAAD and Equality Florida to support the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse in Orlando. How important was that for you to do? Very. To me, the Pride wines are a nod to the community that carried me, that shaped me, that really gave me a career. This was sort of my way of saying "thank you." It was really important for me to do. And we'll be continuing to host events and donating to charities directly helping the LGBT community. We haven't set a date yet, but in October we'll be hosting an event called Pinoween. It'll be a full-on costume party with dancing, and all the proceeds will go to a great charity.

I really want my wines to be our community's go-to wines. And I want these events to be a unifying point of reference—a time to have a drink, a good time, but also be able to raise money and awareness. Sort of a Batman call, if you will.

That's great. What's next for your brand? I don't know. I certainly love the idea of popsicles being made of wine, and lord knows I'd love one right now with how hot it is outside. Who knows? Anything's possible. I usually wait until my fans, my supporters tell me what they want.

This interview has been edited and condensed.