Why is Meghan Markle’s wine at the centre of a Kardashian dispute?
A gifted wine basket from ex-royal Markle to reality star Khloé Kardashian has gone viral after the PR stunt appeared to backfire.
Meghan Markle’s wine brand As Ever has been racking up media headlines this week after a gifted basket fell flat with Kardashian fans.
It all started when Markle’s team sent Khloé Kardashian a gift basket containing bottles of As Ever Napa Valley Rosé, which first went on sale on 1 July, hidden among a bed of fresh vegetables, flowers and a jar of As Ever honey.
When Kardashian took to Instagram to share photos from sister Kylie’s 28th birthday celebrations, the gift basket was visibly present. However, eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot that Kardashian had neglected to tag Markle in the post. Instead, the former royal resorted to taking a screen shot of Kardashian’s photo and sharing it on her own account, along with a sticker reading “hey hey all my girls with a K.”
Some have interpreted Kardashian’s lack of public acknowledgement for Markle’s gift as a snub. The Keeping up with the Kardashians star does not do anything accidentally on social media, with her mother Kris Jenner previously admitting that the family does not post products on their accounts without being paid handsomely for it. When quizzed on how much the Kardashian sisters earn for promoting a product she replied, “definitely six figures”.
Influencer marketing fail
Gift basket-gate came just days after the 5 August launch of As Ever Napa Valley Rosé’s 2024 vintage. The stunt drew less than glowing reviews from Kardashian followers with many taking to the comments section to slam her attempt at influencer marketing.
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Among the comments were: “What were the Kardashians going to do with this catastrophe?” and “Kardashian followers won’t give that basket a second thought – it looks like a gift from a grandma – MM doesn’t even know who her own customer is, or what they are interested in.”
Another social media user wrote: “I’m confused. Khloé just uploaded the pic to her stories and didn’t even tag or mention Ass Ever or Meghan.”
Fans also picked up on the fact that Kardashian does not follow Markle on social media, suggesting a lack of genuine friendship between the two. “Khloé doesn’t even follow Meghan’s personal or As Ever Instagram accounts…but Khloé does follow Martha Stewart,” wrote one commentator. Stewart has famously launched drinks collaborations with the likes of 19 Crimes and Canopy Growth.
Sonoma not Napa
It’s not the first time Markle’s wine brand has drawn attention for the wrong reasons.
According to As Ever’s registration on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)’s Certificate of Label Approval, the wine was made by Kunde Family Winery, an 1,850-acre estate in Kenwood in Sonoma Valley – not Napa Valley as her wine label claims.
Some in the trade have also pointed out that Kunde Family Winery was sold by parent company Vintage Wine Estates in 2021 to Adair Winery Inc, with some of Kunde’s assets, including stored wines not in bottle, sold at auction, for around US$2 million. It leaves open the possibility that Markle’s wines may not have been hand crafted to her taste or tailored in accordance with her brand, but snapped up ready-made, though db is unaware of any evidence to confirm this.
According to The Daily Mail, Markle chose wine as the first product to promote in her As Ever range as it makes “infinite commercial sense.” She is also said to have drunk rosé during her first date with Prince Harry at Soho House in London in 2016, leading to an emotional connection with the wine style.
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