Like tequila in the world of spirits, there’s something about rosé wine that is catnip to celebrities. There’s not much that Cameron Diaz, John Terry and Post Malone have in common with one another, but all of them have put their name to rosé brands and now supermarket wine aisles are often adorned with the faces and autographs of singers, actors, TV chefs and, of course, Snoop Dogg.
As George Clooney’s Casamigos, specifically the big-money purchase by Diageo, sparked the celebrity tequila trend, the first celebrity-backed premium rosé to gain great traction in the UK and US was Miraval. But while it was a joint venture between Famille Perrin, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who has since left the business, it was careful not to lean too heavily into the celebrity of it all.
“Miraval was one of the first Provence rosés that led the charge, along with Whispering Angel, in terms of driving the premium rosé category,” says Andrew Bayley, Famille Perrin UK general manager. “[The partnership] came about when Pitt and Jolie holidayed on the estate and liked it so much they bought the place. They asked if the family would be their consultant winemakers and the younger Perrin generation said that would be amazing. They discussed it with the family and the older generation said absolutely not, but how about a joint venture?
“But particularly in the UK, we were conscious not to talk about the celebrity element. It was a byproduct, it just happened to be that the estate was owned by the celebrities. It's a wine to be celebrated, not a celebrity wine. Since then, people have seen the popularity of it and now there seems to be a new celebrity-owned brand every week.”
There is a simpatico relationship between rosé wine, particularly from the south of France, and celebrity. Both have a sense of glamour while maintaining accessibility, both photograph pretty well and, crucially, high-profile figures can lend a sense of familiarity to the potentially unfamiliar world of the wine aisle.
“The idea of celebrity brands is quite simple – in the UK, 93% of consumers will never visit a vineyard, never see a winery never meet a winemaker, their whole idea of wine is walking down the supermarket shelves trying not to pick the wrong one,” says Paul Schaafsma, managing director of Benchmark Drinks, the London-based distributor and brand developer which has launched wine brands by Gordon Ramsay, Gary Barlow, Sir Ian Botham and, most notably, Kylie Minogue whose Signature Rosé is the bestselling blush priced over £7 in the UK.
“The average consumer is buying something between £6.50 and £8, it's the most expensive item in their shopping basket, and they want to feel confident with the choice. They might pick it up the first time because of Kylie. They know her, and they might like her music. If the wine is good and stylistically correct, then we've done our job.”
Brand power
Perhaps it's the result of the success of brands like Whispering Angel, Miraval and Kylie Minogue Wines, but today rosé has become a category with brand power usually not seen in the wine world outside of champagne and the real top end of Bordeaux.
“The narrative that’s been around for a while is that Provence rosé is millennials’ champagne and that does ring true,” says Bayley.
“It looks great, it’s Instagrammable, it looks frivolous, it’s celebratory, it's sunshine, and it breaks with the tradition of wine. The social media generation doesn't necessarily want to look into the depths of tasting notes, it’s much more about an image, and rosé in general feeds into that and therefore brands play a bigger part, especially at the top end. With Whispering Angel, Miraval and a few others, I think there’s a group that acts in the same way to the consumer as the grandes marques champagnes, but as champagne prices go up, and the grandes marques are more expensive, then the younger drinker is certainly looking at something that gives them the same cachet but doesn't hurt their bank balance quite as much.”
And unlike champagne, it can come in all sorts of different styles depending on the palates of the market.
“Rosé is hugely versatile, it’s available in different styles and from different regions, so it’s a variety that can be tailored to different markets and consumer drinking preferences,” says Rob Cameron, Invivo co-founder and winemaker who has launched wine brands with Graham Norton and Sarah Jessica Parker.
“With Graham Norton, we make an Italian rosé sparkling wine for Ireland, a prosecco rosé for New Zealand, and a blush Sauvignon from New Zealand for the UK.”
But it’s not enough for rosé to be an attractive venture for celebrities – the celebrities themselves need to be a good fit if the brand is going to have any kind of enduring success.
“Benchmark will only enter into relationships with celebrities if there is some authenticity to it, only if the principal is genuinely interested and genuinely passionate about the project,” says Schaafsma.
“The consumer looks to see how involved the celebrity is and how authentic the brand is. Our job at Benchmark is to make sure what’s in the bottle is fantastic quality and over-delivers because it’s so easy to throw stones at brands that celebrities are associated with.
“We get approached every two or three weeks by people saying that they’d love to do a brand and we say no, because it would just be people putting their name on a bottle without any authenticity. Kylie has been down to the vineyards, she's visited all the producers we work with, she did three days of Prowein stood on the stand pouring wine for everyone.”
And it’s not just about a celebrity rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in, they have to have the right kind of profile to attract wine drinkers.
“In supermarkets, 58% of wine is bought by people over the age of 50. Now, if we go and find all the latest celebrities that are popular to 18 to 25-year-olds, we’re not covering the demographic that is the majority of wine sales.”
Genuine investment
It’s fashionable to dismiss anything associated with celebrity as being in some way insincere or cynical, but that’s not exactly fair. With the huge amount of own-label wines on supermarket shelves, there’s something noble about attaching a recognisable reputation to a wine label and for the celebrity brands that do go the distance, there does seem to be a genuine investment.
But that reputation cuts both ways as Italian craft wine company When In Rome discovered when it cut ties with disgraced former media personality Philip Schofield with whom it had collaborated on a bag-in-box pale pink rosato.
“We have just made our 11th vintage of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Graham, and we’re proud of the enduring brand we’ve created and continue to grow,” says Cameron.
“Our partnership with Sarah Jessica is entering its sixth vintage, and we have just launched a New Zealand Pinot Noir to join the Invivo X, SJP French Rosé and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The wine isn’t just about putting Sarah Jessica’s name front and centre; she’s deeply involved in the business side. She regularly attends buyer and distributor meetings with us, is a shareholder in Invivo USA, and works closely with [co-founder] Tim [Lightbourne], myself, and our team to grow our brand.
“As part of our collaborations, we taste and blend each new vintage of wine with Graham and Sarah Jessica, ensuring each wine bears their unique imprint and represents the flavour profile they enjoy drinking.”
Through the work of companies such as Invivo and Benchmark, and brands like Miraval, the template for celebrity-owned rosé brands has been set out. It’s got to be pale pink, from Provence if possible and the celebs should be prepared to get their hands dirty if they want to succeed. No doubt many will see the success enjoyed by Kylie Minogue et al and rush in naively expecting an easy win, but anyway, with still wine sales struggling around the globe, maybe a bit more star power is exactly what the category needs.
