Meghan Markle raises a glass of rosé and frolicks in a sun-soaked garden as Duchess teases new As Ever release on the eve of her 44th birthday

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Meghan Markle shared a glimpse of her new rosé wine to Instagram as she teased a new As ever release on the eve of her 44th birthday.
The Duchess of Sussex shared a video of herself carrying a wicker basket filled with flowers and bottles of As Ever Napa Valley rosé laid in white linen ahead of her birthday on Monday, August 4.
While Meghan's face did not feature in the video, it showed her wearing a short white dress as she frolicked in the grass, thought to be at her Montecito estate near Santa Barbara, California.
She showed off her stack of rings on her left ring finger, including her engagement ring, wedding ring and an infinity ring, estimated to be worth around £210,000.
She also wore a gold Cartier Love Bracelet, which costs up to £7,050, and a gold Cartier Tank Watch that once belonged to Princess Diana, both of which she regularly wears.
The clip later showed a view of Meghan's swinging feet as she sits atop a stone garden wall, clad in £720 tan-coloured Hermes Santorini sandals.
The words 'Coming soon...' appeared over the video to tease the launch of her new 2024 Napa Valley Rosé.
Shared on the official As Ever Instagram page last night, the caption read: 'Goodness in a glass. Right around the corner...
'Cheers to August!'
Meghan's latest post comes after she announced another product coming to her As Ever line - although some of her customers were baffled as to what was actually new.
The Duchess launched her lifestyle brand As ever earlier this year, releasing the first products in April, which included a range of teas, a raspberry spread, and a limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb, amongst other things.
She followed it up with an apricot spread and another honey, and in July, she expanded into the world of alcohol when she dropped her own wine - the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé.
Each release has been met with fierce excitement from her fans, and every product has sold out pretty quickly.
Now, the Duchess of Sussex 's brand has announced its newest product... but it might not garner the same amount of enthusiasm since it's not very different from her last item.
The company revealed on Wednesday that following the buzz surrounding the 2023 Napa Valley Rosé, it will be launching another wine, with a slight tweak - calling it the 2024 Napa Valley Rosé.
And it vowed that it will pretty much taste the same as As Ever's first wine.
Meghan described her new bottles as 'goodness in a glass'
'It marries the same harmony of notes from our first blend and creates an elegant medley of delicate yet memorable flavor,' reads a press release.
'You'll want to clink glasses with friends as the sun sets, toasting to a summer of joy.
'Barefoot or in sandals, dressed up or dressed down, this rosé may become your favorite accessory for alfresco lunches and dinners at dusk.'
In the release, As Ever listed some of the positive feedback customers had given the company over its first rosé, which included comments like, '10 out of 10,' 'perfect,' and 'elevated flavor'.
'This affirmed all of the love, time and effort our team, and our founder, poured into curating this blend to evoke the sun drenched spirit of Napa Valley, and the breathtaking tenor of the California Coast,' As Ever added.
'Thank you for filling our cup. Now it's time for us to fill your glass! We are pleased to share that our 2024 Napa Valley Rosé will be available for purchase next week.'
The brand also posted to Instagram with a series of images showing the new wine resting in beach sand.
It was uploaded alongside a caption that read: 'Oh, how we love seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Rosé colored glasses? Perhaps even better. Our new vintage of As Ever's beloved rosé is available next week.
'Stay tuned for more details and timing.'
As Ever's first wine went on sale on July 1 and sold out within the hour.
Customers were able to purchase three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159, and 12 bottles for $300.
Last month, Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the alcoholic beverage is made by Fairwinds Estate, a California winery that creates bespoke wines for celebrities.
The 2023 Napa Valley Rosé is described on the bottle as a 'delicately balanced rosé with soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality, and a lasting finish.'
It has a 14.5 percent alcohol by volume for the 750ML bottle.
The Daily Mail FEMAIL team tried the rosé and while the wine was smooth, we couldn't easily detect the notes of stone fruit. In fact, it tasted quite bland, and almost water-y.
In addition, the rosé had some acidic notes, leaving a somewhat uncomfortable sensation at the back of our throats after swallowing.
In the end, the verdict was the wine lacked flavor and tasted affordable and ordinary. It wasn't terrible - but it certainly wasn't great.
We felt the rosé just didn't taste like you bought it at a fancy vineyard, where it's supposed to be made, but rather, like a wine you would be served at a work happy hour.
The FEMAIL team also reviewed her initial set of products, and found that Meghan's raspberry spread was too thin, too sweet, and very runny.
Her hibiscus tea was extremely bitter with heavy notes of floral, with one taste tester comparing it to 'drinking lip balm.'
'It tasted like dirty dishwater,' another FEMAIL writer shared.
Some of us couldn't even bear to swallow it, as one person even spat it back into the cup.
As for her honey, we didn't enjoy the 'waxy' taste of the honeycomb or the super strong wildflower aftertaste.