Who knew?
Dolly Parton is not only a beautiful woman and a legendary country singer and songwriter, actress, and philanthropist – she is also an international wine company!
Her company announced that her Parton Family Cellars is expanding by adding a 2023 California Pinot Noir into the brand’s current lineup of an Italian Prosecco, a French Rosé, and a Chardonnay.
This new red wine is described in PR releases as “an easy drinking, silky and fresh Pinot, with red fruit character and a hint of vanilla.” It’s presented in a Burgundy bottle with a blue label with silver butterfly designs and a silver Dolly signature.
Two bottles appeared in my mailbox just in time for a dinner of grilled lamb chops, baby spinach salad, and a slice of cherry pie and cheddar cheese for dessert.
I tasted the wine right after I opened the first bottle. Big mistake.
Initially, the wine was just barely drinkable. There was an underlying, slight sour streak and pronounced alcohol at the back of the throat that made it harsh. So, no … it was not silky or smooth at that point. It was just very, very young!
However, once I aerated it by swirling the wine around the glass for a number of minutes, a transformation occurred! The wine smoothed out, some of the harshness of youth disappeared, some sweetness emerged, and the sour streak was minimized. So it became pleasant with my lamb chops. And by the end of the evening, it paired quite happily with the cherry pie and cheddar slices!
I will always love you, Dolly, and I offer you my heartfelt condolences on the recent loss of your husband. But I have to be honest – this wine is just too young as bottled and needs plenty of cellar time to smooth out.
Three or four years down the road, it will probably be quite enjoyable as an aperitif or to accompany a meal. At that point, it will probably match the description of “easy drinking, silky and fresh.” But it needs the proper time to age and lose the harsh backend.
Normally, at this suggested retail price, a wine is not cellared, it is just drunk. But I’ll keep the second bottle in my cellar to give it time to really mellow. Then, I will comment again in a couple more years.
Dolly Parton is not the only artist who is getting on the branded beverages wagon. Several singers, actors, and other celebrities own or collaborate to promote wine and spirit brands, including:
Megan Thee Stallion: She celebrated her 30th birthday by unveiling her tequila brand, “Chicas Divertidas.”
Mariah Carey: She endorses “Angel” Champagne.
Justin Timberlake: Launched “Sauza 901 Tequila” in 2009 with Kevin Ruder.
Rita Ora: Launched “Próspero Tequila” in 2020 with Conecuh Brands.
Bruno Mars: Owns “Selvarey Rum,” a Panamanian rum producer.
Drake: Collaborated with Brent Hocking to launch the whiskey brand, “Virginia Black,” in 2016.
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston: Launched “Dos Hombres Mezcal” in 2019.
Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power: Launched “Avaline,” a wine brand with vegan white and rosé wines.
Kenny Chesney: Launched “Blue Chair Bay Rum” in 2013.
Dolly has a great voice and great stage presence, but she needs some more work in wine selection. Maybe she should work on it from “9 to 5.”
The author received complimentary bottles, but as always, we are dedicated to providing our honest assessment of any wine, food, or travel experiences.
Manos Angelakis is one of the founders, the former Managing Editor for 25 years, the current Managing Editor Emeritus, and Senior Food & Wine Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. He is an accomplished travel writer, photographer, and food and wine critic based in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a travel writer, he has written extensively about numerous cities and countries. Manos has also been certified as a Tuscan Wine Master and has traveled to wine-producing areas in order to evaluate firsthand the product of top-rated vineyards. In the past year, he has visited and written multiple articles about Morocco, Turkey, Quebec City, Switzerland, Antarctica, and most recently the South of France. Articles in other publications include Vision Times and Epoch Times.
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