On June 20, Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, made an announcement—they were launching a rosé. A 2024 Napa Valley Rosé, to be exact: “with soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality, and a lasting finish,” per their newsletter. Eleven days later, the bottles went up for sale on AsEver.com. They all sold out in under an hour. Capitalizing on the success of the first drop, Marke did a second on August 5. That too quickly went out of stock.

While the exact amount of As Ever Rosé inventory put up for sale is unknown, no doubt part of the reason the product moved fast is Markle herself: Since leaving the royal family in January 2020, she’s remained a constant—and controversial—figure in the public eye. Some people love her, while others, well, do not. (According to YouGov, she has a popularity rating of 21% in the United Kingdom.) Yet there’s very few among us who don’t have a baseline of curiosity about her: whatever your thoughts are, you’re interested in reading—or watching, or scrolling—what she’s up to. And now, apparently, ordering.

Here’s the thing, though: is her rosé actually any good?

Celebrity-owned rosés have arguably reached a saturation point. In addition to Markle, there’s Brad Pitt’s Miraval, Jon Bon Jovi’s Hampton Water, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Invivo X, just to name a few. (Oh, and who could forget Snoop Dogg’s 19 Crimes?) Some of them are well-respected in the industry, others, not much more than a thinly veiled cash grab.

So which catgeory one does Markle’s fall under? Well, we decided to ask Jordan Salcito, an award-winning sommelier who oversaw the wine program at Eleven Madison Park and Momofuku, to put As Ever Rosé to an unbiased taste-test. “I approached it exactly as I would any other bottle: with curiosity, attention, and the analytical framework I’ve used to understand thousands of wines throughout my career,” says Salcito, whose how-to-wine tasting book, Smart Mouth, comes out this October. Her honest review, below. (Oh, and if you managed to get your hands on the in-demand vino? Salcito recommends pairing it with “chilled with grilled salmon, pork belly or barbecue, roasted vegetables, or even spicy Thai takeout.”)

Sight

This isn’t the pale, whisper-thin pink of so many celebrity rosés that seem designed more for Instagram than actual drinking. Instead, we’re looking at a gorgeous, substantial pink with a dark rose-colored center that transitions to a pale rim.