by Wanda Mann
Let’s be honest: We wine industry pros often turn up our noses when we hear that yet another celebrity has added the role of winemaker to their resume. But are we being too hasty in our judgment? Sometimes. There’s no denying that some actors, athletes, and musicians have leveraged their status to shill subpar wines to devoted fans who will buy almost anything their objects of affection endorse. But a select group of famous faces have smartly aligned themselves with respected winemakers to build their brands, and you can taste the difference.
“I have no problem with drinking wines made by celebrities as long as I am well informed about the grape sources and the individuals behind the winemaking process,” says Joyce Lin, a New York City–based sommelier and founder of pairing-focused website SIP WITH JOYCE. “Take Miraval Rosé, for instance—a superb-quality, delightful Provençal rosé co-produced by Brad Pitt [and] Famille Perrin, a prominent fifth-generation wine producer [whose] legacy dates back to the early 1900s.”
Championship-winning point guard Dwyane Wade may have retired from the NBA, but his Wade Cellars label has dunked on naysayers who doubted his potential for success in the wine world. A longtime lover of wines from Napa Valley, Wade partnered with his friend Jayson Pahlmeyer, an acclaimed producer, to launch the brand—of which Femi Oyediran, sommelier and co-owner of Graft Wine Shop in Charleston, South Carolina, says, “We are big fans. They’ve exceeded expectations in engaging the wine community, creating inclusive opportunities for non-wine people to get involved and curating a culture of wine that’s just entertaining. Standouts include Three by Wade Chenin Blanc, a delicious white that hints at a crisp cool-climate style and is just a perfect and rewarding bargain at under $25.” Wade continues to expand his reach in the industry; in 2021, he joined the executive leadership board of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis.
“Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” Mary J. Blige is hitting high notes with her label Sun Goddess, whose portfolio includes a ramato style of Pinot Grigio produced in Italy’s Friuli–Venezia Giulia region. Blake Leonard, president of wine for Stew Leonard’s Wine & Spirits in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, extols Blige’s partnership with the Fantinel family, who brings more than 50 years of winemaking experience to the collaboration. “My family and I have been friends with the Fantinels for over 15 years, and we have visited their winery a number of times,” notes Leonard. “I can say with confidence that Sun Goddess wines are made in one of the most beautiful places in Italy; they are hugely popular with our shoppers not just because they’re Mary’s wines but because they are delicious.”
Fans of Issa Rae’s award-winning HBO show Insecure will recall that Prosecco was her character’s signature sip. The refreshing Italian bubbles are also Rae’s drink of choice off-screen—so much so that she recently partnered with E. & J. Gallo Winery to create her brand, Viarae. “I am thrilled to share my love of Prosecco with everyone through Viarae. It’s carefully crafted, deliciously crisp, and the perfect beverage to celebrate la dolce vita,” she says. And sommelier Cha McCoy, owner of The Communion Wine + Spirits in Syracuse, New York, agrees: “Viarae is a great example of a more gastronomic Prosecco, attributed to 100% Glera spending time on lees. [It breaks] the mold of Prosecco [with] everything from apricot, honeysuckle, and baked peach [to] a mineral-driven finish screaming for a seafood tower.”
Celebrities may not be just like us, but sometimes they produce wines that even we discerning sommeliers can love—proving that our palates might not be so different after all.
Wanda Mann is a Certified Specialist
of Wine and the founder of
winewithwanda.com. Follow her on
Instagram @winedinewanda