"It Was Hard To Take More Than A Few Sips:" I Taste-Tested Eight Celebrity-Owned Wines And There Are A Few I'll Never Drink Again
I'm Hannah, and I really love wine. I absolutely love trying new varietals and bottles from all over the world. I've also taken a handful of wine education courses on my own time (and my own dime) — including a six-month wine class where I was surrounded by people studying for their sommelier exams. For me, learning about wine makes it all the more enjoyable to drink. 🍷
I've been seeing more and more celebrity wines popping up — celebrities partnering with winemakers to create their own labels — and I was curious to see how they actually taste. So I got my hands on eight celebrity wines — including reds, whites, and rosés — and prepared for an evening of wine tasting.
Below you'll find full information on the lineup of 8 wines, detailed blind-tasting notes on every single one of them, and the favorite red, white, and rosé options when all was said and drunk. If you've tried any of these and loved (or hated) them, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
THE WINES:
1. Avaline Organic White Blend by Cameron Diaz
Avaline is the brainchild of Cameron Diaz and her best friend, Katherine Power. It's made in Penedès, Spain, which is located in Catalonia, and is a white blend of three Spanish grapes: xarel-lo, macabeo, and malvasía.
Avaline wines are organic, vegan, and made in a natural style with minimal additives and intervention. In addition to this white blend that I tested, Avaline makes a handful of rosé, red, sparkling, and white wines.
It's worth noting that Diaz's name appears only in small, cursive font on the back of the label, so you could easily buy this wine without realizing it has anything to do with her.
Retail price: $24.
2. 19 Crimes Cali Red Blend by Snoop Dogg
Perhaps you've heard of 19 Crimes wines. These wines are from Melbourne, Australia, and all of the brand's labels depict, well, convicts. But this Snoop Dogg collaboration was the brand's first California release.
Snoop's Cali red is made from 65% petite syrah, 30% zinfandel, and 5% merlot, all sourced from California. And, of course, Snoop is shown prominently on the bottle. Apparently the Cali red was such a success, Snoop also came out with a 19 Crimes rosé.
Retail price: $15
3. Maison No. 9 Rosé Wine by Post Malone
Maison No. 9 is the rosé brand by Post Malone because, in his own words: “rosé is for when you want to get a little fancy." According to the website, it's a French Riviera rosé that is crispy, refreshing, and very smooth. Interestingly, there's no mention of Malone on the wine label.
In fact, it's a very pretty bottle depicting a rose wrapped around a sword — one of those long, thin, and graceful rosé bottles. So you could easily pick this up in a wine store and have no idea it's Malone's bottle.
Retail price: $18
4. Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Proprietary Red Blend by Zac Brown
Country singer Zac Brown is the celebrity behind Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged wines. He collaborated with winemaker John Killebrew to create a line of "big, bold wines of uncommon finesse and character."
In addition to the proprietary red blend that I tried, there's a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon, all of which are made in California.
Retail price: $18
5. Invivo X by Sarah Jessica Parker Sauvignon Blanc
Invivo X SJP is a joint venture between Invivo Winery and Sarah Jessica Parker. The wines are made in New Zealand, and according to the website, these wines "combine New York sass, the world’s best wine regions, and New Zealand winemaking." I guess we'll see about that! In addition to this sauvignon blanc, there's a rosé.
Retail price: $15
6. 19 Crimes Martha's Chard by Martha Stewart
We've already talked a bit about 19 Crimes. Turns out this brand also has a new collab with my personal favorite felon: Martha Stewart. Martha's chardonnay is described by the brand as "approachable and simultaneously as bold as her personality." It's the third California wine by 19 Crimes, after Snoop Dogg's Cali red and rosé.
Retail price: $12
7. LVE Côtes de Provence Rosé by John Legend
Next on the lineup is LVE by John Legend Côtes de Provence rosé. In an on-brand move for John Legend, the grapes for this rosé are all sourced from vineyards in the South of France. You might not care about the technicalities, but I will still tell you that the wine is made from a classic Languedoc-Roussillon blend: 45% grenache, 35% syrah, and 20% cinsault grapes.
In addition to this rosé, LVE makes a canned rosé and several other sparkling, red, and white wines. The bottles say "Legend Vineyard Exclusive," but that's the only mention of Legend.
Retail price: $25
8. Sun Goddess Sauvignon Blanc by Mary J. Blige
Lastly, we've got Mary J. Blige's Sun Goddess sauvignon blanc. I'm personally sort of obsessed with this bottle, which displays a photo of the artist's face truly looking like a goddess, surrounded by a golden halo.
This wine is produced in vineyards owned by the Fantinel family in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. Honestly, the website is really legit, with a bunch of facts about the wine region and its unique terroir, and is worth a look if you're interested in geeking out. In addition to the sauvignon blanc, there's a Sun Goddess merlot, pinot grigio, and prosecco.
Retail price: $20
THE TASTING METHOD:
I decided to taste these bottles blindly — meaning that the label of each bottle was hidden — in order to leave all of my preconceptions behind and really judge the wines for how they tasted.
I uncorked each of the bottles and wrapped them in identical tissue paper so the labels were totally hidden. I then gave each bottle a corresponding number to identify it for the tasting.
(But yes, I know — this couldn't be 100% blind for me. I still had to procure the bottles, so I knew the contenders, generally speaking. Still, it was completely blind for the rest of the tasters. More on that below!)
THE PANEL:
I also wanted to see how these wines appealed to different palates, not just mine. So I enlisted the help of a wine-tasting panel: I called on two of my best friends, Melissa and Sarah. (We've been drinking wine together often since...well, long before we could do so legally).
In addition, my sister (also Sarah, so we'll call her Sarah L.) and my husband, Zack, joined in on the tasting. I thought it was important to include Zack because we have opposite tastes in wine. It's one of the biggest issues in our marriage, but we're working through it. Sarah L. has the same taste in wine as your typical 70-year-old man, so she also helps cover all of our bases.
And finally, there's me.
The five of us tasted each of the wines blindly. We recorded our impressions and thoughts, and each of us gave the eight wines a score between 1 and 10.
Here were our thoughts on each wine:
1. Avaline White Blend by Cameron Diaz
This happened to be the very first wine we tried, and it put us off to a good start. To me, it smelled like pear and citrus and it was a very easy drink — very mild and hard to dislike, but a wine that probably won't blow you away, either. I would have guessed it was a pinot grigio. Zack was on the same page: "This is a middle-of-the-fairway wine. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't really excite me," he said. My sister, by contrast, thought it was too bland. "There's nothing to it. It sort of feels like drinking water," she said.
Melissa found the wine to be "nice, light, and feminine" — perfect for sipping during the summer. And Sarah thought it was a "perfect wedding white."
"It tastes like the kind of crowd-pleasing wine you might be served at a wedding or bridal shower. I would be happy to drink this at a wedding, and I would drink a lot of it," she added. She guessed that Jessica Simpson was likely the celeb behind this wine. Not quite...but a fantastic guess.
AVERAGE RATING: 7.5/10
2. 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Red Blend
No offense, Snoop (you are an icon), but IMO, this wine was...horribly bad. It tasted like mildly alcoholic grape juice. And it's so sweet and unbalanced, it's hard to have more than a few sips.
"It tastes like dressed-up Manischewitz," Sarah added, "or like tart cherry candy melted down into wine form." (BTW, if you've never had the sweet kosher wine called Manischewitz, you are not missing out.)
Even Zack (who will drink just about anything you pour him) put his wine glass down after taking a sniff of it. "I don't think I can drink this. It smells like pure vanilla extract," he proclaimed. Others noted that the wine tastes like jam. We all concluded that there is no good time or place to drink it.
AVERAGE RATING: 3/10
3. Maison No. 9 Rosé Wine by Post Malone
Wine #3 ended up being Malone's Maison No. 9. Judging by the looks alone, this wine is a beautiful color. It's a pinky grapefruit color — almost verging on orange. I didn't think this wine was half bad. Personally, I love bone-dry rosés, and this was not that. Maison No. 9 is more buttery, with a good amount of body for a rosé. If it were served cold on a hot summer day, I'd happily have a glass.
Melissa dubbed this wine "a chardonnay of the rosé world." "It's buttery and it sort of sits in the back of your throat before it goes down," she explained.
Sarah L. just sat there, happily sipping on her wine. Meanwhile, Sarah knew just the place for this wine: "I'd like to drink this on a boat on a lake. Not, like, Lake Como," she said, "but maybe Lake George or the Ozarks." Zack called Maison No. 9 "cheap airplane wine." (Wow! I married a snob!) But for the record, he always orders the airplane wine.
AVERAGE RATING: 5.5/10
4. Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Proprietary Red Blend by Zac Brown
"Holy shit" was Melissa's reaction upon smelling this wine, which turned out to be the Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged Proprietary red. Her reaction was spot on. This stuff smelled like pure honey, nothing like any wine I've drunk before.
But the smell belied the taste, and it was actually a very pleasant drink. I was expecting a very heavy, tannic Napa cab, but it tasted like a middle ground between a pinot noir and a cabernet sauvignon. We all agreed that this bottle gives off major cozy-sweater-weather vibes and that it would be a perfect dinner wine.
This red wine was much silkier and more delicate than anyone was expecting.
"This makes me want to eat a big steak," Zack said. I may have noticed him drooling; I'm not sure. Sarah described her ideal scenario: "I want to drink this in Vail, Colorado, after a day of skiing while sitting by a raging fire."
I'm not going to lie, I thought that this was a Harry Potter–themed wine once it was unveiled, judging by the Hedwig-looking owl on the label. That definitely threw me off, but it was one of the crowd favorites, nonetheless.
AVERAGE RATING: 8.5/10
5. LVE Côtes de Provence Rosé by John Legend
This wine was much lighter in color than the first rosé we tasted (Post Malone's Maison No. 9). We were all drawn to the light, almost white-wine color. It smelled extremely zesty. Sarah L. went so far as to say it smelled sour. "It smelled a bit off-putting to me, but it goes down very smoothly," she said.
Melissa thought that this wine had a bit of effervescence to it, but it settled down as it breathed in the glass. The wine wasn't as dry as I was expecting it to be — it had a fruity, almost strawberry-filled bite to it — but it was totally enjoyable.
We all agreed (including the two dogs that were lurking around the tasting table) that this wine was likable and classy.
"It reminds me of Wolffer Estate's Summer in a Bottle rosé," Sarah said. Once we unveiled the wine, everyone agreed it made perfect sense that John Legend was the name behind it. "I think it's great, and I'd drink it all summer long," Zack declared.
I agree that it's an excellent warm-weather wine: It would be perfect for a boozy brunch or for sipping at the beach. "I want to drink this on a summer night with a cheese plate," Sarah said, and I completely agree.
AVERAGE RATING: 7/10
6. Sun Goddess Sauvignon Blanc by Mary J. Blige
The next wine we tasted was a white wine that ended up being Mary J. Blige's Sun Goddess sauvignon blanc. Overall, this wine was one of the favorites. I thought it was pretty intense on the nose, with aromas of pear, lychee, and tropical fruit. The flavor, however, was not quite as powerful. This is a big white wine with plenty of body, but the flavor is balanced and good. I typically prefer very crisp or dry French-style whites, but I could thoroughly enjoy a glass of this.
Everyone else agreed that this was a solid wine.
Zack called this wine a universally likable crowd-pleaser. Sarah thought that this wine tasted expensive. "I usually go for red wine," she said, "but I think this is a white wine for red wine drinkers because it has plenty of body and structure to it."
Melissa liked the wine too, although she wasn't crazy about the heavy pear flavor. All in all, everyone would drink this wine again and agreed that it tasted higher-end than most of the rest.
AVERAGE RATING: 7.5/10
7. Invivo X Sauvignon Blanc by Sarah Jessica Parker
The second-to-last wine ended up being SJP's Invivo. The smell of this wine was wild. It's like a tropical cocktail with pretty strong notes of banana, pineapple, and coconut. I had a feeling this wine would not taste mild, either. "This is confusing," Melissa said as she took her first sip. I would have to agree. It tastes like it's made from bananas rather than grapes — sweet and perfumy, almost like a tropical fruit lollipop.
Sarah stated that this wine tastes exactly like a hangover, and I think she nailed it with that comment. "I would drink this at an airport bar, although unhappily," she added. My sister took an even harsher approach: "This smells like a belly button. Or feet. Something very unpleasant. And it tastes so concentrated," she said. Zack had only a few words to contribute: "That's pretty nasty."
Sorry, SJP, but maybe stick to the cosmopolitans. But it's also worth noting that according to the bottle, wine critic James Suckling gave this bottle a score of 90...which is why I chose to completely ignore wine ratings to begin with. 🙂
AVERAGE RATING: 4/10
8. 19 Crimes Martha's Chard by Martha Stewart
Wine #8, our final wine, was unveiled to be Stewart's chardonnay, a collab with 19 Crimes. The panel was extremely divided over this one. We all agreed that it smelled very neutral. You could tell by the appearance — the wine's light golden color and vicious legs when swirled — that this would be a fuller-bodied white.
And it did, IMO, taste like the epitome of a buttery chardonnay (because after all, that's so on brand). It had that rich, buttery flavor that makes many people (like me) hate many chardonnays. I honestly couldn't drink more than a few sips. Sarah was in my camp. She said it was buttery and oily, and it's one of the very rare wines she probably wouldn't drink if offered. Sarah L. thought that, based on the first sip, this wine could be enjoyable. But the second and third sips proved that it was very rich and overpowering.
But not everyone felt the same way...
Melissa was more even-keeled. She said that it tasted pretty neutral and it was totally fine and drinkable, but she still would not seek it out or choose it. Zack, on the other hand, was a true wild card. He happens to be a big fan of buttery chards (again, we're working through these issues). He said that he liked this wine and it was a perfect winter white that you could drink with seafood or even with heavier meat. I do agree that this wine begs to be paired with food, and it's hard to sip on its own.
AVERAGE RATING: 4.5/10
TL;DR: Some of these celebrity wines were far better than I was expecting! And some were worse.
• If you're looking for an approachable and easy-drinking rosé for the warm weather: John Legend's LVE rosé is a good bet at a reasonable price tag.
• If you love white wines that are crisp and fresh: Cameron Diaz's organic Avaline was very solid. I think it appeals to the vast majority of white wine drinkers.
• If you love structured red wines: Zac Brown's Uncaged was the best of the red wines I sampled, and seriously blew away my expectations. It's structured enough to please cabernet people, but light enough for a pinot lover's palate. I would definitely buy this wine again.
• Snoop and Martha, I'm sorry. You're both iconic and I adore you, but I hated your wines.
