George Clooney to release French rosé

Hollywood actor George Clooney is about to release a French rosé wine from the Provence estate that he originally bought in 2021, reports have claimed.

Following on from Clooney’s good friend Brad Pitt, who produces the Chateau Miraval rose with his former wife Angelina Jolie, it looks like another famous actor is getting involved in the wine world.

According to local newspaper Var Matin, Clooney will release a wine label from grapes grown at his Domaine de Canadel estate that he purchased with his wife Amal, and which already had a small established vineyard of 4 hectares.

Before the latest news, it was understood the grapes were sent to the local cooperative, where they are blended with those from nearby properties, so there was no specific wine brand connected to Domaine du Canadel until now.

The hand of Pitt and other actor-winemakers is clearly on the bottle, as wine consultant to the stars Laurence Berlemont is reportedly involved, who previously worked at the Pitt-Jolie’s Miraval estate until 2015, and also at George Lucas’ Château Margüi estate.

Pink and white

According to the paper, drinkers will be able to buy in the spring a pink and white roséthrough the Var Coteaux Varois en Provence appellation from the vineyards of the Canadel estate in Brignoles. The vineyard on the estate is primarily Vermentino with the 2023 cuvée expected to be the first bottle available.

The release has been a closely guarded secret, but rumours arose as George and Amal Clooney have been spending more time at the estate in recent months, which is positioned between Marseille and Saint-Tropez.

The paper quotes Berlemont, who claimed that Clooney had taken part in blending sessions.

She said: “He gives us his thoughts, he’s got a good palate, he’s a very humble person.”

She even went as far as to claim the label will be called “La Bastide Saint-Georges” and there is debate whether the ‘s’ of Georges will be left off, although it is unclear whether this is an intentional play on Clooney’s first name or not.

Estate

The estate boasts vineyards, a lake, olive groves, a swimming pool and tennis courts, making it the perfect getaway in the south of France. Its garden is said to be one of the most beautiful in Provence.

Alongside Château Miraval, which is nearby between Aix and Cannes, there is also actor John Malkovich’s estate, who owns a vineyard property with his wife in Vaucluse, and Hollywood producer George Lucas, who owns the nearby ‘Skywalker Vineyards’ at Château Marguï in the heart of Provence Verte.

George Clooney is no stranger to the drinks trade, having sold his super-premium Casamigos Tequila brand to Diageo in 2017 for a staggering US$1bn.

Miraval

The news comes as the long running dispute over the ownership of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Château Mirval continues.

Most recently, Pitt maintained his 60/40 split while the final decision on ownership went for mediation.

Before they married, Pitt and Jolie bought Miraval together with the former owning 60% and the latter 40%, but when they tied the knot, Pitt gifted 10% to his partner.

The paper cited an anonymous source that said: “For now, he maintains a 60/40 (split in the estate). He maintains control of this until probably another year, or more.”

The issue has arisen after Pitt argued that he should have a controlling interest in the vineyard following Jolie’s sale of her shares to Russia vodka magnate Yuri Shefler, who owns Stoli.