“Compromises are for relationships, not wine.” – Sir Robert Scott Caywood
Aloha from Maui! This is the sixth in a series of wine blog posts highlighting some of my favorite wines from celebrities of note and whom I admire. Previous posts reviewed Gaslighter Wines by The Chicks, Pursued by Bear Wines from Kyle MacLachlan, XOBC Cellars wines by Brandi Carlile and friends, Two Wolves Wine by P!nk, and Invivo X by Sarah Jessica Parker. This post takes a look at Avaline Wines by Cameron Diaz.
As mentioned in earlier blog posts, it is not always easy to procure interesting and often obscure wines here in my new home, Hawaii. There are numerous wine outlets (grocery stores, Costco, Target), but those traditional outlets usually have limited selections. Out-of-the-ordinary wines are decidedly pricey to ship here, if winemakers even ship here at all. My solution: luggage! I was in Denver back in April visiting friends and family, so I decided to stock up on a few celebrity wines while there and, um, load down my checked luggage (luckily the wine didn’t exceed the maximum weight limit, though I was sweating it for a while). You’ll be happy to know that, safely cocooned inside bubble wrap, all the bottles made it unscathed, including this one.
And another shameless commerce plug: I wrote a book cataloging my travels through France, visiting as many of the wine regions (and sampling as many of the wines) as mentioned in Kermit Lynch’s great book Adventures on the Wine Route. My book is called Opening the Cellar Door: New Adventures on the French Wine Trail, and is available from Amazon as a paperback and a Kindle e-book. I think you’ll enjoy it.
But on to the wine!
There was an interesting take on “celebrity wines” in a recent article in The Washington Post by Emily Saladino. She writes, “Side hustles have infiltrated the bottle shop. Celebrity wine projects bring bold-faced names from sports, music, television and more to retail shelves — and the results are mixed. Some celebrity wines seem more focused on lining investors’ pockets than impressing palates. Others demonstrate a star’s deep passion for agriculture or oenology. Whether each one delivers depends on how it’s made, and if quality or profitability is its raison d’être. In any business, including wine, those two motivations are not mutually exclusive.”
She notes that “higher-quality celebrity wines tend not to plaster the star’s name or likeness all over the label. There are exceptions, but I had better luck with bottles where the wine — not the bold-faced figurehead — seems to be the focus.” She quotes Thomas Kakalios, beverage director at Eat Well Hospitality in Chicago, as saying, “If you see a celebrity’s face all over a label, it’s assuming you’re only going to buy this wine because you like that celebrity, not because you know or care about what the wine is inside.” Good advice!
Anyway, Saladino reviewed twelve celebrity wines and, as she noted, the results were mixed. She categorized them as good, bad, or meh. A couple of disclaimers: she only wanted to review wines that were readily available at your local wine shop. She specifically mentioned that Two Wolves Wine by P!nk, which I reviewed earlier, was not included in her list because (as I noted at the time) it was almost exclusively available by joining the winery’s club. And she listed Pursued by Bear’s 2022 Baby Bear Syrah by Kyle MacLachlan as being in the “good” category (I reviewed that winery’s 2020 Bear Cub red blend and noted it was “highly recommended”).
But let’s take a look at Avaline by Cameron Diaz. We all know and love Cameron Diaz from her often-quirky, usually relatable movie roles. She first came to our attention in 1994 when she co-starred in a small comedy alongside a little-known comic actor named Jim Carrey (I’m being facetious; this was a huge role and a huge movie). The Mask was quirky, funny, ambitious, and outrageous, and a true comic blockbuster. There are almost too many clips to show, but this one is a classic:
One of my favorite roles of hers was in My Best Friend’s Wedding in 1997 when she did a horribly cringey and off-key but earnest karaoke:
And of course, in There’s Something About Mary, there’s the uncomfortable but absolutely hilarious “hair gel” scene with Ben Stiller:
One of my sentimental favorites was as a troubled sister of Toni Collette in In Her Shoes:
There are almost too many classic roles to mention, from Charlie’s Angels to The Sweetest Thing to numerous Shrek movies and features. But it’s her most recent role that intrigues me – Avaline wines.
Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power (from Avaline website)
The winery’s website focuses on its mission:
- A focus on organic grapes: “Every bottle starts with organically farmed European grapes, grown without synthetic herbicides or pesticides, and little else is added. Nothing unnecessary—just honest, expressive wine.”
- Low sugar: “Almost all of our wines are fermented dry for a completely sugar-free sip.”
- Openness: “We’re transparent about how our wine is made: free from concentrates, unnecessary sugars, and low in sulfites. With a less-is-more approach, you can sip with ease.”
Those may all sound like platitudes, but from everything I’ve read, they are sincere in their efforts. Reviewed.com tells us that Diaz founded Avaline in 2020 with Katherine Power (the founder of the fashion site “Who What Wear”). “Both new to the alcohol industry, they set out to produce wine that promised organic grapes, clean ingredients, and accessibility to all…. Diaz and Power decided to launch this brand after realizing that most wine bottles don’t offer much transparency when it comes to ingredient labels, since wine isn’t regulated by the FDA. The co-founders wanted to create a wine brand that offers peace of mind, with ingredients that are as clean as the food they eat and household products they use—without being difficult to find in stores.”
The term “clean” wine is intriguing. From what I can tell, there is no one tried-and-true definition, but in Avaline’s case, it is focused on organic ingredients and few if any additives. More from Review.com: “Every product is made from organic grapes and free from additives like sugars and colors. Sulfites are kept to a minimum—under 100 parts per million—and all wine ingredients are approved by the National Organic Program, steering clear of common questionable ingredients. But Avaline doesn’t label itself as natural wine, per se. Although that term’s definition varies depending on who you ask, natural wine typically undergoes spontaneous fermentation (i.e. using native yeasts instead of store-bought), avoids added sulfites, and often forgoes filtering—which results in a cloudier bottle…. Avaline wines go back to the basics, sticking to bare-bones, organic ingredients that offer you peace of mind while you’re unwinding at the end of a long day.”
Wine.com goes a step further by saying, “Avaline wines are vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free.”
Katheats.com tells us, “All of the grapes found in every bottle of Avaline are 100% organic, with no traces of synthetic pesticides or insecticides. Avaline only partners with winemakers who prioritize sustainable farming. They are also all vegan, which surprisingly means that all wine is not…. Avaline wines are fermented ‘dry,’ which means there is no residual sugar present. All Avaline wines have 0g of sugar per serving…. Winemakers are allowed to add up to 73 different additives to their wines, including Megapurple and other concentrates to manipulate the color, flavor and mouthfeel of their wines — Avaline never does.”
From the Avaline website: “Winemakers are legally required to disclose very little. There’s no obligation to tell you how the grapes are grown, or to list the 70+ additives some brands use to alter the taste, color, and mouthfeel. With Avaline, we share everything that goes into the bottle right on the label, so you’ll never question what’s inside your glass ever again.” And that’s true – take a look at the front and back labels of the wine we tried:
More from the Avaline website on its wines’ ingredients:
- “Organic Grapes: 100% certified organic grapes with no synthetic pesticides or herbicides.”
- “Yeast + Yeast Nutrients: Native or certified-organic yeast, supported by organic nutrients to ensure a good fermentation.”
- “Sulfites: Always under 100ppm. Used to keep the wine stable and fresh.”
- “Natural Acids: Small amounts of tartaric, ascorbic, and lactic acids for balance and smoothness.”
This openness and commitment to “clean” wines must be resonating with wine drinkers. Healthnourishgrow.com tells us: “The brand has grown rapidly since launch. Avaline jumped from 80,000 cases in 2022 to over 300,000 cases in 2025, earning Impact ‘Hot Brand’ honors and landing on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. They’ve expanded from their original white and rosé blends into a full portfolio of single-varietal wines from European vineyards, all in the $24 to $35 price range.”
And what about the winemaker? Sonoma-based Ashley Herzberg has an impressive resume. From her ashleyhowdenherzberg.com website: “After graduating with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Nevada, Ashley left a medical career behind to start at Owl Ridge Wine Services in nearby Sebastopol, California. At this custom crush facility, Ashley worked with top Pinot Noir vintners like Merry Edwards, Greg Lafollette, Anthony Austin, and Scot Covington, growing and developing as a winemaker and gaining the perspective and knowledge that would later prove invaluable. Ashley moved on to Mauritson Wines, getting started as their assistant winemaker before launching her career as a consulting winemaker, creating vintages for legendary Sonoma County brands like Bacigalupi Vineyards, Amista Vineyards, and Saini Vineyards.” Her motto, from the Avaline website, is commendable: “My hope is that when you pour a glass, you taste the care that went into making it.”
Ashley Herzberg (Avaline website)
So what were we to expect? We found good-to-excellent reviews of Avaline wines from almost every source we examined. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc, which, as the label shows, consists of organic grapes from France. Avaline’s website tells us that these grapes came from EthicDrinks, a French winery focused on “a sustainable world of wine.” Its backstory and commitment are fascinating; check out its website at ethicdrinks.fr.
The Avaline website noted that its Sauvignon Blanc is “crisp and fresh, with notes of citrus and florals.” Others had similar views:
- From Review.com: “The Sauvignon Blanc is very drinkable, with a fuller body than many we’ve encountered in the past. As the description states, it’s on the dry side with citrus notes, which makes it sippable and not too sweet.”
- From thekitchn.com: “The Sauvignon Blanc … was the overwhelming favorite, earning rave reviews from everyone on our team who tried it. Avaline says that it’s the lightest sip out of all its offerings, which we definitely found to be true. It includes crisp citrus notes and a hint of rose petals; ‘refreshing’ and ‘smooth’ were adjectives our team agreed on.”
Okay, let’s circle back to Emily Saladino of The Washington Post and her reviews of celebrity wines. She reviewed Avaline’s white blend (not the Sauvignon Blanc we tried), and wrote, “This isn’t the most memorable white wine you’ll ever drink, but it’s not the worst one, either [damning with faint praise eh?]. Light-bodied and dry, it has lemon flavors and a short finish. Labels don’t list the vintage or grape varieties, which, for me, doesn’t instill confidence. That said, it’s approachable and refreshing.” She put it in the “meh” category, which I think is reflected in her review. As noted above, our Sauvignon Blanc bottle did list the type of grape and where it was from, but not the vintage, which I did find a little confusing [Cameron, are you reading this?].
What was our experience? We really enjoyed this Sauvignon Blanc. It had a strong initial aroma of apple, but had a slight hint of a grapefruit taste. We thought it was fruitier than most French Sauvignon Blanc, even approaching a Chardonnay-like taste. But we’d definitely recommend it – and we thought it went especially well with spicy food. We didn’t think it was “meh” at all. As the label says, it “Pairs well with shared plates and easy conversation.” Give it a try!
Book recommendation: I stumbled on The Cork Jester’s Guide to Wine several years ago, and I revisit it occasionally to get a good laugh and some good insights into wine. Jennifer Rosen is witty, irreverent, and knowledgeable. As the blurb says, the book “sets novices at ease while delighting connoisseurs…. [It] takes the fear and mystique out of choosing and enjoying wine. She’ll have you deciphering labels, talking the talk and tasting like a pro.”
Wine-focused TV/movie recommendation: This post’s recommendation is the series of Somm movies, starting with the first entry from 2012. Somm is a documentary following several people who try to pass the Master Sommelier exam; it’s stressful but illuminating on the extreme challenges faced by those seeking this certification. Somm: Into the Bottle tells the story of wine by opening ten different bottles – I really enjoyed it on a recent plane ride. And Somm III focuses on tasting some of the oldest and most expensive wines in the world. All three are very educational and entertaining, and you can watch them all on YouTube.
Wine Playlist: As mentioned in earlier posts, I like to create fun and funky playlists based on some of my interests, so I’ve created a wine playlist – songs with titles or lyrics that include wine. You can find it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rAwgh9Thiary4zUplUsaN
This blog’s entry is the original “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” by Jimmie Rodgers.
“Well, when I was a young man and never been kissed
I got to thinkin’ it over how much I had missed
So I got me a girl and I kissed her and then, and then
Oh, Lord, well I kissed her again Because she had kisses sweeter than wine.”
The Cellar Door 