I imagine, a long time ago, that Knights were celebrities. Gladiators too probably. Today out celebrities are pop stars, movie stars and people who appear on TV. And their weapon of choice? Rosé as it seems.
Over the last year it’s been pretty impossible not to read about a new rosé wine being launched by a celebrity every month. It was probably Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who started the trend, when they bought Chateau Miraval in Provence in 2008. And now celebrities all over the world are getting into the ‘winemaking’ trend — some more involved than others. Snoop Dogg has one, Jon Bon Jovi has one, Drew Barrymore has one, Kylie has three…
Celebrities have been cashing in on drinks deals and partnerships for the past decade or so but normally in the spirits arena. You only have to let your eye water at the $1 billion figure sum that George Cloony’s brand of tequila, Casamigos, sold for in 2017 (which made him the highest-paid actor of 2018 despite not appearing in a single film) to see that drinks offer a lucrative business to those with star power.
So why rosé now?
Rosé has seen an enormous market growth in the past decade. Rosé sales in the US alone have grown in volume by 1433% from 2010 to 2020 and in the UK, even during a year of lockdown, premium rosé sales have boomed in the supermarkets. It’s hot, it’s pink and everyone wants one. But how do they measure up?
As part of a very serious technical tasting of the celebrity rosés by my poolside with a professional panel of friends sunbathing, US wine blogger Holly Shaw and I took the celeb rosés to battle over an Instagram Live tasting…
Mirror, mirror on the wall… who has the fairest rosé of them all?
View this post on Instagram
Battle of the Celebrity Rosé Tasting Notes
Winner: Kylie Minogue Côte de Provence Rosé 2020
It was a close call with cricketer Ian Botham’s sparkling rosé, but Kylie had us all spinning around with this delightful rosé. The top, and easily best, of her line up, this was a very pretty Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah blend with lovely acidity, good length and juicy notes of watermelon, cherry blossom and grapefruit. A perfect celebrity rosé with longevity, just like Kylie herself.
£22, available at Harvey Nichols
PS. This is a much pricier pour than her entry level rosé (£9 at Tesco) or pink prosecco (£12 at Tesco) but it is much more interesting. The entry level rosé is fresh and enjoyable (probably the better entry-level celeb rosé), although the pink prosecco is really only for those with a sweet tooth — a birthday cake kind of wine.
Runner up: Botham & Balfour Sparkling Rosé
Sir Ian Botham, as I was told in confidence by one of my poolside panellists, was not only known for his excellence on the pitch but also his ability to party afterwards. And this would be a perfect rosé for a smashing summer celebration. It’s serious enough to please your wine friends but easy enough to appeal to everyone. An English rosé from the trio of Champagne grapes with a year on the lees, it has some toasty complexity with attractive notes of raspberries and apple strudel. A very sophisticated celebrity rosé.
£25, available directly
PS. The still rose (£15) is also well worth trying: delicate, zesty and pure. It lacks the charm of Provence rosé (which is name dropped as its inspiration online) but has an enjoyable English identity: tart and tangy acidity with subtle, delicate aromas.
2nd Runner up: Chateau Miraval
Who wouldn’t want a taste of Brad Pitt in their life? I imagine most of Miraval’s clientele are happy to pay a premium for the gorgeous celebrity association here, but to be honest the wine is rather enjoyable too. It is a little on the restrained side compared to Kylie’s but has good elegance and delicate floral and citrus notes.
£20, available at Majestic
Other celeb rosés tasted
Graham Norton Pink by Design 2020
You only had to take one whiff of this to release it wasn’t really rosé… If it smells and tastes like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, it probably is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. And shame on me for not doing my research properly beforehand, but I felt rather proud at blind spotting that one. A touch of Merlot gives it the pink colour, but this is a rose designed for Marlborough SB lovers! Fresh, fun and flamboyantly aromatic. Very cheeky rosé indeed Graham…
£9, online.
SJP Rosé
Sarah Jessica Parker’s rosé was really well dressed, as you expect, with a lovely lipstick-style X across the label, but sadly I wasn’t quite as excited about the contents. It was fresh and pink, but lacked some substance — simple, a bit short and not much personality to be honest. Disappointing for £15. Interestingly enough though, this is made by the same team behind Graham’s rosé – Invivo, which had bags of flavour for almost half the price.
£15, online.
