What Is Up With That: Celebrity Wine
Is there a right way?
Words by Jillian Riley, Art by John Hatherly
Every sommelier I know has eye rolled to the point of developing a headache upon seeing more and more celebrity wines pop into the news. Celebrity-backed wine is a natural development, given that celebrities tend to have the large quantity of money it takes to launch a wine brand and the built-in following to sell a good bit of product before it’s even been bottled and regardless of flavor. But, is any of it really good? And, how exactly is it being made?
The list of celebrities producing wine these days reads like the guest list to Ellen’s 50th birthday-- Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Francis Ford Coppola, Brangelina (Can we still call them that?), Sting, Madonna, Bethenny Frankel, Post Malone, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Ditka, Wayne Gretzky, Donald Trump (you knew that was coming), Bon Jovi . . . I could go on, but an angel falls from heaven every time you google “celebrity wine,” so this should serve as a sufficient sampling for now.
Cameron Diaz’s line Avaline is one of the more recent developments. Avaline states its mission “is to champion a new standard in wine by making clean wine accessible to everyone.” What exactly is clean wine, though? There is no definition offered. Diaz has stated that she was inspired to make Avaline after learning there could be “over 70 additives” in wine. Yet, the ingredients section of Avaline lists sulfites, bentonite clay, pea protein, cream of tartar, yeast, and yeast nutrient in addition to grapes. Aren’t these “additives” Diaz was so horrified by? Avaline’s website says the wine is available at retail stores “nationwide.” The appellation on the white wine is Spain, and the Rosé is from France. Those are about as general as you can get in terms of knowing where your wine came from.
Drew Barrymore calls herself a “winemaker” after the creation of her brand Barrymore Wines. After filming a video in 2017 loaded with blatant inaccuracies regarding general winemaking processes (not to mention a dabble of sexism), it became apparent that Barrymore was not, in fact, a winemaker, but someone who paid a winemaker to make the wine she would put her name on.
The brand SkinnyGirl wine founded by Bethenny Frankel purports itself as “low-calorie,” roughly 100 calories per glass. Most dry wines contain about 130 calories for an equal portion. Brilliant marketing? Certainly. Actually good wine? Certainly not.
So, is there a way to do it right? Should celebrities stay out of the wine game all together, or can some actually bring positivity to the table?
Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2018 vintage (image courtesy of Winebow)
A while back, a vendor brought in a New Zealand Pinot Noir for me to taste. He mentioned the winery was owned by Sam Neill, “ya know, of Jurassic Park.” Me: Eye roll. I begrudgingly tasted the wine and was shocked to find it was good. It was actually beyond good; it was interesting and spoke of place and was expressive. I began to inquire about how the winery was operated and how the vineyards were kept—meticulously. So, what was different about this celebrity wine?
For starters, production—Two Paddocks makes a very small amount of wine, so small that you won’t find it in large retail stores, and I can’t even get as much of it as I would like. The winery was started in 1993. Despite the ability to have grown production further, Two Paddocks has remained under 10,000 cases annually.
Central Otago, New Zealand (Jillian Riley/Yield)
Secondly, place. Two Paddocks is one winery in one specific region (Central Otago) on one island of New Zealand. It was started as a passion product of 5 acres in one vineyard. The celebrity who owns the winery actually lives right there, as well. Typically, with larger celebrity-owned brands, the celebrity lives nowhere near the vineyards from which the fruit comes. More frequently than not, the fruit is also sourced from a number of different vineyards, sometimes in different regions within a state or country.
Thirdly, its farming methods are apparent; Two Paddocks is a fully self-sustaining biodynamic farm, and they will answer transparently any questions regarding pesticide and herbicide use. They have a plan to begin using trees on the property to build their own barrels for wine aging in an effort to further increase sustainability.
Finally, it’s wine before it’s celebrity wine. You find ads for Two Paddocks featuring the dreamy visage of its owner popping up on Facebook, and you won’t see loads of paid advertisements while flipping through magazines. When I visited Central Otago in New Zealand, my group was greeted by several wine representatives for an evening picnic. That’s where I met Jacqui, who I found out was the manager of Two Paddocks. She was unassumingly dressed and casual as could be. We spoke extensively about farming methods and the different vineyard sites perched over picnic tables enjoying some local salmon. Sam Neil never entered the topics. It wasn’t about Sam; it was about the wine.
Wineries that follow the Two Paddocks model are very few. If you’re wondering if you should be drinking celebrity wine, it will behoove you to look into a few factors.
Can you buy the wine at CVS? This typically means there was a ton of wine made. What is the annual case production? A boutique winery is classified as producing 10,000 cases or less. If case production is over 100,000, which is frequently the case with the wines that end up in every CVS, Target, Drizly or Walgreens in the country, that should be a huge red flag. Meticulous care virtually never occurs with quantity this large. Wondering how to find out case production? Try the “Contact Us” feature on the wine’s website. Any winery or brand should be willing to respond transparently. If they don’t give you a hard number, it means they have something to hide.
Where is the wine from, according to its label? Generally speaking, if the wine states its appellation as a state or country (i.e. California, France, Spain), as is the case with Cameron Diaz’s brand, it can use grapes from anywhere in that state or country, or it is not adhering to the specific laws governing winemaking within a more specific region.
Is the wine trying extra hard to make sure you know a celebrity owns the brand? Is the celebrity’s name signed or printed in large type on the bottle? Have you seen 18 Instagram ads for it in the past week? Is there an article about it in Marie Claire and Vogue and Glamour and Forbes and GQ? That means there is a big ‘ol advertising team trying to convince you this wine will turn you super fabulous like (insert celebrity here). If the wine is good, the flavor and other accolades should sell it, not the autograph.
Is there a trojan horse touting how “natural” the wine is? Most wineries who are doing their best to be stewards of the land-- minimizing herbicide and pesticide use, analyzing emissions, aren’t fans of non-specific terms like “natural,” which has no legal definition in wine world. If they’re doing the right things for the right reasons, wineries may have official certifications from governing organizations such as USDA or Demeter printed on their label. You may also see “grown with organic grapes,” which requires legal compliance for labeling, but be wary of any terms along the lines of natural, clean, or healthy.
Supporting the wineries doing good in our world makes you far more fabulous than sipping any fancy jug juice with an autograph slapped on it. Be fabulous.