The subtle signs that hinted at Meghan Markle's latest business foray as the Duchess's wine goes on sale

Daily Mail​

13 hours ago

With the Duchess of Sussex 's love of a good tipple well known it was perhaps inevitable that her next business foray would be into the wine market.
Tomorrow Meghan's Napa Valley rosé wine will go on sale on her As Ever website.
Sourced from the famous wine-growing region in California, up the west coast from her Montecito mansion, it has been described as having 'soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality and a lasting finish'.
While the sale of the alcoholic beverage is a major pivot for Meghan's lifestyle brand - which previously sold a collection of jams, honey, teas and baking mixtures - it nevertheless remains an unsurprising move considering that the Duchess has made no secret of her love for a glass of wine.
In fact, Meghan's fondness of the tipple was the inspiration behind the name of her first attempt to create a lifestyle brand - 'The Tig'.
The name was short for Tignanello - a red wine that Meghan is known to be particularly fond of.
Through her lifestyle blog, which was active from 2014 till 2017, Meghan wrote about an array of topics including food, travel and fashion.
Intertwined throughout her posts were her affection for wine.
In one recipe Meghan shared how to make a red wine hot chocolate and her blogs about her travels around the world always found time to honour wine o'clock.
In one post she spoke about enjoying wine during a trip to Mdina, Malta, and in another she wrote a bottle of rosé she paired with lobster on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy.
More recently, she was seen day drinking throughout her latest Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
The mother-of-two, 43, invited all of her closest celebrity pals, including Mindy Kaling and Roy Choi over to a luxurious farmhouse in Montecito, a couple of miles away from her actual home.
And she certainly showed how to be the perfect hostess, as Meghan supplied a range of alcoholic beverages for her guests throughout the eight episodes.
She mixed up a range of cocktails such as mimosas which she enjoyed with her best friends Kelly Zajfen and Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, and sipped wine alongside chef Alice Waters.
Celebrity friend and The Office star Mindy appeared slightly taken aback by the offer of an alcoholic drink when Meghan declared let's 'have a little beverage' alongside their frittata in episode two.
'I like just a wink of fruit flavour in my bubbles,' explained the duchess, before offering the actress an array of juices that could be added to the champagne.
'I think this is the earliest that I've had alcohol in a long time,' replied Mindy, to which Meghan joked: 'Oh, welcome to Montecito.'
'Am I going to get hammered?' a concerned Mindy questioned - but the Duchess was quick to reassure her, adding: 'No, that's why I'm feeding you.'
The duchess ended her series with a glass of bubbly in her hand where shed hosted a brunch outside with her close friends and family members - including Prince Harry and her mother Doria Ragland.
The decision to launch the wine on July 1 has raised eyebrows among royal fans after it was quickly pointed out by hundreds of people on social media, that it is Princess Diana's birthday.
Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter replied to the post on social media with exasperation by simply writing: 'July 1st, Diana's birthday...'
A slew of royal fans also complained at the timing, with one claiming Meghan was 'literally dining out on Diana's memory', and another said the choice was 'tacky'.
And although the price tag of the wine is yet to be confirmed, another royal watcher claimed: 'She is using Diana to flog cheap wine.'
'Nothing if not predictable by now,' said another, as one chimed in 'she is incredibly tone-deaf'.
The Sussexes have long shown little respect for the tightly regulated royal calendar and would regularly make news while other members of the family were on engagements - a big royal no-no.
Meghan didn't mention the late royal in her post announcing the wine, but the duchess has previously spoken about Diana, describing her as 'someone I wish I'd had the chance to know'.
To celebrate the day she was born, July 1 is often used by friends and family of Diana to share memories and talk about her impact.
Last year Sarah Ferguson shared a touching tribute to her 'dear friend' and former sister-in-law by calling her a 'kindred spirit' and 'pillar of light and love'.
And a few years prior the Daily Mail's celebrated royal correspondent Richard Kay and close friend of Princess Diana published his own heartbreaking tribute to her legacy.
Her birthday was still such an important date that it managed to get both of her sons, now sadly estranged, to one of her favourite spots for reflection in 2021.
Despite having barely spoken to each other and having an 'incredibly strained' relationship after two years of rows since the couple's decision to emigrate to America, both William and Harry attended an unveiling at Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden.
They had gathered, along with Diana's brother and sisters, to unveil a new statue of the princess 24 years after her death in a horrific car crash in Paris in 1997.
William and Harry put aside their personal differences and stood shoulder-to-shoulder to unveil the bronze statue of their mother.
In a very rare joint statement released that afternoon, the brothers said: 'Today, on what would have been our Mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.'