Meghan Markle’s acting career might have peaked with “Suits,” but she’s besting A-Listers with her new wine.
In a blind taste test, Markle’s As Ever rosé beat out pink vinos from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jon and Jesse Bon Jovi.
“This wine is good enough to be poured at Buckingham Palace,” said Christian Bendek, a certified sommelier from downtown Brooklyn who was part of a panel of top New York City wine experts The Post assembled for a tasting of celebrity wines.
Markle’s As Ever 2023 Napa Valley rosé swirled into the crowded celeb stunt wine space on July 1 — on what would have been Princess Diana’s 64th birthday — selling out within an hour of its launch.
The rosy sipper, which retails for $30 and is made from a blend of cabernet sauvignon, mourvedre, grenache and syrah grapes, is described on the As Ever website as having “soft notes of stone fruit” with “gentle minerality” and “reminiscent of the finest Provencal styles.”
Panelist Nikki McCutcheon, a sommelier and the wine director at Tao Group’s Cathedrale and Sake No Hanna, said the rich and complex wine is worth its $30 price tag.
“It has a touch of cherry red fruit on the finish,” she enthused. “This you could drink on its own or paired with food. It could pair very well with French, Mediterranean food. This one gets a star.”
Bendek described the wine as “coconut-ty, very tropical” and said it was more “interesting” than many celebrity entries.
The panel’s second favorite wine was Miraval Rosé Cotes de Provence ($24.99). The French vineyard was purchased by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2008 and has been a $500 million sticking point in their nasty divorce battle.
But there’s no drama in the easy drinking wine.
“It’s really approachable. Nice minerality,” McCutcheon said of the widely available quaff, which is made with grenache, syrah and rolle grapes from the Provence region of France.
Panelist Chris Miller, the managing partner at The Lamb’s Club and co-founder of the Times Square wine window, also deemed it an “approachable” summer sipper but said it “needs more of a backbone.”
(The same cannot be said for either Pitt or Jolie’s divorce lawyer.)
Our panel also liked the aptly named Hampton Water ($25.99) from Jon Bon Jovi and son Jesse Bon Jovi, rating the rock star rosé third.
Miller picked up on the wine’s strawberry flavors, dubbing it “crisp” and “refreshing.”
“It’s enjoyable,” McCutcheon said.
Bendek immediately knew what he was drinking.“This is Hampton Water,” he declated after one sip.
When it came to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Invivo ($23.99), panelist couldn’t help but wonder why the “Sex and the City” star’s wine wasn’t better.
Miller noted it was “not as refreshing” as some of the competition and wasn’t suited for drinking on its own.
Bendek was diplomatic but hardly enthusiastic.
“I don’t hate it. Would I buy it? I don’t know … How much would I pay for it? I’d keep it in the $15 range,” he said. “The acid levels are a little higher here.”
But it was Cameron Diaz’s Avaline rosé ($19.99) that really missed the mark.
It’s “a little dull” and “missing something on the nose,” said Bendek of the last place winner, which is made in France and marketed as being organic and free of added sugar and artificial colors.
Miller called the “There’s Something About Mary” star’s vino “very one dimensional” and not something he’d recommend serving to aficionados.
McCutcheon agreed.
“This is for the masses,” he sniffed.
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