![The Best Non-Alcoholic Wine [Tested and Reviewed]](/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TOHA24_Group-Photo_Katie-Bandurski_ST_01_Edited.jpg?resize=72,72)
It's the first wine from the Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle company, As Ever.
In his book Eating Royally, former royal chef Darren McGrady chronicles what the Windsors ate for every occasion while he was working in the palace kitchens. It’s half memoir, half cookbook and 100% entertaining. I’ve checked it out from the library twice, which made me feel like Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
You know the part when she brings a book to her librarian, who declares: “That one? But you’ve read it twice!” Belle doesn’t care, because it’s her favorite. While the librarian just lets her keep the book, I have made no such inroads with my local librarians—so I finally bought Eating Royally.
The truth is that I’m fascinated by the eating and drinking habits of the royal family. In this book, I learned that Queen Elizabeth gave up chocolate every year for Lent, Princess Diana loved bread pudding and, as boys, Prince William and Prince Harry used to hunt rabbit. Which would later be fed to the Queen’s corgis. I told you, it’s a fun book!
It’s definitely an illuminating look at the most famous family in the world (don’t tell the Kardashians I said that). So when I found out that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would be launching her own lifestyle brand replete with food and wine options, I got really excited. Sure, Harry and Meghan have left the royal family, but they retain their titles—as well as my fascination.
What is Meghan Markle’s lifestyle company, As Ever?
If you’re not familiar, Meghan launched her lifestyle brand As Ever in 2024. It coincided with the release of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. Now, if you only learned about Meghan when she joined the royal family in her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, you might be confused about her pivot to a lifestyle company. But guess what? This has always been a part of her personal brand.
As a chronically online millennial, I remember when Meghan had her own lifestyle blog, The Tig, from 2014 to 2017. It was full of every kind of inspiration you wanted in the mid 2010s personal blog boom. She detailed her favorite outfits and food and shared home decor and hosting tips.
Naturally, I was very excited to hear about Meghan’s pivot back to the lifestyle space. As Ever has done a few small product drops, including jams, honey and flower sprinkles, but the biggest—and most anticipated—drop to date has been her wine.
What kind of wine did Meghan Markle make?
Her first wine is a 2023 Napa Valley rosé, made in partnership with Kunde Family Winery in Kenwood, California. It dropped on July 1, which is Princess Diana’s birthday. There was a ton of buzz surrounding this launch, and I set a calendar reminder to make sure that I would be ready for the 10 a.m. CST drop. Luckily, I was able to purchase three bottles of the rosé and eagerly awaited their arrival.
The wine is described as “light, fresh and effortlessly celebratory,” which is a very fun way to talk about wine. When I received mine, I noted that the color was a very light peach rather than pink. The bottle had a minimal label, which was in keeping with the packaging on the rest of her As Ever treats. It’s white with a metallic gold As Ever logo written in Meghan’s handwriting. I chilled my wine overnight before opening it to drink.
What does Meghan Markle’s wine taste like?
Here’s the part where I reveal that I’m kind of a wine snob. I studied abroad in France and took a course all about wine. I really enjoy Provençal-style wines, and grenache and syrah grapes are some of my favorites. So when I saw that Meghan’s wine, although made in a Napa Valley style, was inspired by the wines of Provence, I was really excited and also slightly skeptical. A lot of popular rosés on the market today pull too sweet, and I worried it might be the same with Meghan’s version.
Lucky for me, I was absolutely blown away! This wine is incredibly light and very crisp. It has a very pleasant mouthfeel with good depth of flavor that still allows the subtleties of its stone fruit notes to shine through. The finish is very smooth, with no lingering bitterness. It’s an exceptionally drinkable rosé!
I was also surprised by the alcohol content on this rosé, because it’s 14.5% ABV. The typical range for a rosé is usually a little less, between 11 to 13%, so this definitely had more of a kick to it than other rosés I’ve had. When my mom tried a glass, she said that the tasting notes reminded her of an apricot brandy.
Where can you buy Meghan Markle’s wine?
Unfortunately, this 2023 Napa Valley rosé has already sold out. All of the As Ever products are limited releases, which makes it slightly difficult to get your hands on them. If you like the description of this wine and want to try something similar, I recommend the Josh rosé. It’s also a California wine with notes of stone fruit.
I really love seeing the direction Meghan is taking with As Ever. This wine is thoroughly impressive. Out of all the As Ever products, I think her wine has the most exciting potential. The company announced via newsletter that it will be dropping another wine this week, so stay tuned for that. There are also whispers that a sparkling wine will be coming later this year. Maybe in time for the holidays? Meghan, if you’re reading this, send me a crate!
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