Another Real Housewife is trying her hand at winemaking. Brandi Glanville from the reality show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills recently unveiled Unfiltered Blonde chardonnay.
Brandi Glanville (center) with Jenni and Tyson Rippey of The Rippey Wine Company.
Produced in partnership with The Rippey Wine Co., Unfiltered Blonde’s inaugural 2013 chardonnay is a mix of grapes from Sonoma County (70%) and the Yountville appellation of Napa Valley (30%). The suggested retail price is $15.
Glanville joins fellow Real Housewives Bethenny Frankel (Skinnygirl) and Ramona Singer (Ramona pinot grigio), among others, in launching a wine brand. Why wine?
“My favorite wines at tastings were always the most expensive ones,” Glanville explains. “That got me thinking: Could I take my favorite flavors and make them less expensive?”
What’s more, “anyone who knows anything about me knows that I’ve always loved wine,” Glanville says. “I knew that this wouldn’t be ‘out there’ in terms of my brand.”
In addition to Real Housewives Glanville hosts her own podcast, and lasted to the final four in Season 7 of Celebrity Apprentice. Her success in the entertainment industry is partly fueled by her outspoken style, hence the name “Unfiltered Blonde.”
For its part, The Rippey Wine Co. “wanted to work with a celebrity who made sense,” says Tyson Rippey, brand co-owner. “Our company makes wines for other people,” he notes. “We get approached by a lot of celebrities who just want to put their name on a product. With Brandi, that’s not the case.”
Not only is Glanville a part owner of this brand, Rippey says, “she’s been there from the get-go, and in every step along the way of the winemaking.”
Glanville admittedly had a lot to learn: “I didn’t realize how much time and effort went into winemaking,” she says. “There’s a lot that goes into picking the perfect grapes,” not to mention the aging process.
“This has also taught me to look at the quality of the bottle and the label,” she adds. “I have a different eye now for those things.”
Unfiltered Blonde is aged in stainless steel tanks, which impart no flavor and help attain a balance among fruit, oak, and buttery flavors, Rippey says. “It’s a $15 wine that tastes like a $30 bottle,” boasts Glanville.
Fans of Glanville already have a thirst for the new wine brand, she says. “My fans are the best,” Glanville notes. “Even before they could even taste this chardonnay, they were ordering it online.”
