If there’s one thing celebrities know how to do, it’s convince us mere mortals to spend our money. It’s like they dazzle us with their art, music, and movies only to get rich and then sell us on some tangential products that essentially put more cash in their pockets. Do I need to spend $46 on facial exfoliants? No. But if I want youthful skin like Pharrell, then maybe I should buy his Humanrace Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator.
It’s not just skincare treatments that celebrities have wooed us into purchasing. They’ve got their diamond-studded hands on a range of products from apparel, beauty, and perfume, to tech gadgets, tequila, and wine. Yes, folks, the celebrities have even gotten in on the grapes. No industry is safe!
While I’ve shelled out plenty of dollars for celebrity products like Kim Kardashian’s incredible Skims line (truly great stuff, and yes, this is a hill I’m prepared to die on), when it comes to the vino, I am admittedly skeptical about celebrity wines. Maybe it’s because I am a nerdy oenophile who is enthralled by the science behind fermented grape juice and the knowledge of those who make it. Maybe it’s because I am a simple laborer who appreciates the hard work of those whose job it is to provide us with delectable drinking experiences while simultaneously providing for their families and/or continuing their family’s legacy.
Whatever it is in my subconscious, throwing a high-profile name on a bottle to convince people to drink it… IDK, this unsettles me.
That said, I can’t deny that there are some celeb wines that actually slap. Bottles backed by Hollywood darlings who actually care about the way the wine is made and the people who make it. To help you get acquainted with some of them, I’ve rounded up nine celebrity wines that are actually worth purchasing and trying at home. And no, Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac, aka Ace of Spades, isn’t included because I am trying to be financially mindful. Bottles on this list are all under $40 and are accessible online and in retail shops across the country.
Now let’s drink like we’re famous.
Maison No. 9 Rosé
ABV: 12.5%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
It seems that Post Malone has traded in the beerbongs for bottles of pink drink. The rapper launched his own rosé in 2020 in partnership with James Morrissey of Global Brand Equities and the founder of London Entertainment, Dre London. A blend of grenache, cinsault, syrah, and merlot, the wine is produced near St. Tropez and completely captures the essence of what a Provence-style rosé should be.
Tasting Notes:
Crisp and refreshing, this wine opens up with aromas of spring gardens and tropical fruits. The rosé graces the palate with strawberry and pear flavors that mingle with hints of dried earth and fresh acidity.
Bottom Line:
This wine is as easy to drink as water. Sip it solo when you’re thirsty at the beach, by the pool, on the back porch, or in the house—i.e., wherever, whenever.
Avaline Sparkling by Cameron Diaz
ABV: 12%
Average Price: $26
The Wine:
Actress Cameron Diaz and fashion mogul Katherine Power are behind the organic, vegan-friendly wine label Avaline. The women initially launched the brand in 2020 with a Spanish white wine and a French rosé but have since expanded their portfolio to include a French red and their latest, a Spanish sparkling wine comprised of macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada grapes, which released in December.
Tasting Notes:
This is a dry, effervescent bubbly that smells of apples and orange oil. The green apple flavor is definitely prevalent on the palate, which gets a boost from more citrus notes and lemon zest. Overall the sparkling wine is clean and bright — with tiny, full bubbles that dance across the tastebuds in a delicate kind of way.
Bottom Line:
Drink this bubbly with a bowl of berries for a dessert, you won’t regret.
LVE Côtes de Provence
ABV: 12.5%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
Picture this: John Legend and his piano in the middle of a lavender field on a sunny 74-degree day in Provence, France, singing about love and luxury. Can you see it? Well, lucky for all of us, we can taste it too. Because that’s exactly what this rosé is — a harmony of grenache, cinsault, and syrah from the Montagne Sainte-Victoire and Massif des Maures regions of Provence. This wine is produced in collaboration with proprietor and winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset, whose expertise underscores Legend’s passion for the product.
Tasting Notes:
This pale pink wine delivers sweet aromas of peach blossom and candied apricots, but the sip is all fruit. Notes of strawberry and nectarine sing on the palate while crisp minerality provides some depth in the lengthy and elegant finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a light and splashy rosé that will work well as a solo sipper, but it has the character to stand up to a plate of grilled fish or light dishes like salad.
Sun Goddes Sauvignon Blanc
ABV: 12.5%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
Mary J. Blige teamed up with the Fantiel family, one of Italy’s most esteemed winemaking families, to produce wines from grapes on their vineyards in Friuli Venezia Giulia. In addition to a sauvignon blanc, Blidge’s label also includes a pinot grigio romato, which is an Italian rosé style of wine.
Tasting Notes:
Straw-yellow in color and oozing with melon, passionfruit, and banana aromatics, this medium-bodied wine leans into green and yellow apples on the sip, while a twinge of minerality dances in the background. There is some acidity in the finish that balances the fruit and gives the wine some structure.
Bottom Line:
This wine is a great alternative to the usually acidic and zesty sauvignon blancs that regions like Marlborough, New Zealand are known for. While it does have some semblance of those notes, the tropical fruit flavors and silky, weighted body are more of a standout in this Italian varietal.
Z. Alexander Brown 2018 Uncaged Proprietary Red by Zac Brown
ABV: 14.5
Average Price: $18
The Wine:
Now here’s a wine created by country singer Zac Brown that will likely lead you to break out the grill. Produced in California, this wine is comprised of a blend of zinfandel, petite sirah, and syrah. John Killebrew is the head winemaker for the label, but don’t get it twisted. Brown is heavily involved in all facets of production from blending to label designs, bottling, and packaging.
Tasting Notes:
Smell the smoked meat on this bottle! Seriously, a pour of this and your nostrils may lead you to think you’ve just tossed a few chops and steaks in the smoke pit. That smokey aroma is enhanced with dark, jammy notes of blackberry, black cherry, and clove on the palate. And the wine wraps up with chewy, rich tannins—the naturally occurring polyphenol within fruit skins, seeds, and leaves that aid in a wine’s astringency—to produce an exceedingly long finish worthy of a big-body wine.
Bottom Line:
No guessing here—pair this sucker with something medium-rare and hot off the grill.
Ferguson Crest 2018 Viognier
ABV: 14%
Average Price: $22
The Wine:
Long before Fergie became the platinum-selling artist and former Black Eyed Peas member she’s known as today, her father Pat Ferguson enlisted the singer and her sister Dana to help him harvest fruit and vegetables in their California back yard. Then in 2006, Fergie and her dad purchased a winery in Santa Barbara County and began producing cabernet sauvignon and a viognier that is truly g-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s.
Tasting Notes:
This golden-pale wine smells of Meyer lemon, apricot, and mango sorbet. On the palate, it’s brimming with notes of peaches and features a hint of citrus. But what makes this viognier a standout is the stony complexities that evolve on the back end of an overall pillowy wine that results in an intense yet enjoyable finish.
Bottom Line:
Drink this wine when you’re tired of the same old same and need some nuance and complexity in your white wine. The stony qualities of this wine give it some unexpected character that will take you out of your day-to-day norm. This is also a food wine that will pair well with a variety of cheeses, roasted chicken, and vegetarian dishes.
19 Crimes Cali Red by Snoop Dog
ABV: 14.1%
Average Price: $12
The Wine:
Snoop Dogg ganged up with the winemakers behind Australia’s legendary 19 Crimes Wines to produce the winery’s first California blend. Made in Lodi, petite sirah and zinfandel grapes are used to create a nearly purple red wine that is as smooth as the Dogfather himself.
Tasting Notes:
You’ll smell this wine’s dark fruit aromas of black and blueberries right away, while the palate is soaking with flavors of candied cherry, Sun-Maid Raisins, and a touch of smokey sweetness in the finish that brings it all together. This is a medium-bodied wine that is silkier than the scarves Snoop uses to wrap his hair at night.
Bottom Line:
Roll one up and drink this wine with your homies. It’s an easy-to-crush red that will likely go quick.
Diamond Collection Zinfandel
ABV: 14.1%
Average Price: $15
The Wine:
Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola launched his California winery with his family back in 1975, and the estate has grown tremendously over the last three decades. The zinfandel, which includes a 10 percent splash of petit sirah, is just one of the many gems the winery produces.
Tasting Notes:
Wafts of forest floor, mulberry, and cassis fill the nose on this wine, while the palate maintains an alluring deep woods profile highlighted by jammy notes of boysenberry, black cherry, and a hint of toasted oak. You can’t miss all the black pepper, which gives the wine some character in the back end of the sip. Those peppery flavors and supple tannins spill over into a long and spicy finish that will leave you licking your lips.
Bottom Line:
This is one of those red wines that tastes like it should cost much more than it actually does. Its low price may be what makes this bottle a perfect intro to Coppola wines though. The winery also produces a few other dynamic wines that are just as good with a significantly higher price tag.
Château Miraval Cotes de Provence Rosé
ABV: 13%
Average Price: $20
The Wine:
Nearly four years since their split, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are still the co-owners of Château Miraval, a premiere wine estate in Correns, France—within the region of Provence—that they purchased in 2008. They also exchanged vows on the property during their 2014 wedding. We all know how that marriage turned out, but this particular union of cinsault, grenache, syrah of is still incredibly good.
Tasting Notes:
This refreshing pink wine is the epitome of elegance. The nose is soft with aromas of white fruits and currants sprinkled with lime zest, but the wine dazzles the palate with vibrant notes of strawberry and rose petals. This wine also displays a note of salinity that provides a soothing-yet-lively complement to the hint of lemon that lingers in the long finish.
Bottom Line:
This rosé could be triple the price, and it would still be worth the purchase. It hits all the benchmarks of a Provence-style rosé with its light body, crisp acidity, and overall opulence that captures the ease and sophistication of life in the South of France.