Wine Masterpieces

Imagine if establishing a new winery, creating the product and getting international news outlets to pay attention were as easy as getting drunk in public, then typing a single sentence and hitting the “send” button on your social media platform of choice? Well, it is that easy, if you happen to be pop diva-turned-actress and soon to be wine label owner Mariah Carey.

Earlier this month, Carey attracted a great deal of media attention for the loopy, lengthy acceptance speech she gave at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, after winning the breakthrough actress award for her role in the film Precious. She blamed her behaviour on Champagne, which kept the news cycle going for a few more days, then took to her Twitter account to announce the 2010 release of her own rosé bubbly, Angel. Newspapers like New York’s Daily News and the UK’s Guardian took that news at face value, with Stuart Heritage of the Guardian going so far as to predict it will “taste like a bottle of sweat that’s had an AA battery dropped in it.”

What no one has seemed to notice is that Angel is a 13-year-old brand based in Reims whose bottles have recently begun to appear in popular music videos, including Carey’s—meaning that “her” Champagne brand will likely be little more than a simple licensing deal, á la the hordes of other wines “created” by musicians and bands. We’ll admit that her Champagne endorsement deal is at least better than the untrue reports of her investment in Mariah Zinfandel.