Lisa Rinna Vs. Lisa Vanderpump: Whose Rosé Is Better?
Bravolebrities love to put their name on a bottle of booze. While the network's "Real Housewives" franchise is totally fake (well, at the very least, "reality" is a stretch), the numerous libation labels with a connection to the series are legit businesses for the cable network. New York Housewife Bethany Frankel paved the way when her massively successful Skinnygirl line launched in 2009 (via The New Yorker).
Over the years, other ladies followed suit including "The Real Housewives of New York" Ramona Singer's eponymous pinot grigio, "The Real Housewives of Orange County" stars Tamara Judge and Vicki Gunvalson's Wine by Wives, and fellow OC castmate Heather Dubrow's Colette Brut. These bottles often become part of the show's storyline discussions — Lisa Barlow's Vida Tequila is essentially an honorary cast member of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
In August, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Rinna joined the fray, revealing the launch of Rinna Wines which includes a sparkling brut and sparkling brut rosé. This means that former castmate (and current rival) Lisa Vanderpump, who also happens to own a wine label, has some new competition. Considering their longstanding feud, we were curious how Rinna's rosé would stack up against LVP's popular pink drink from Provence. (Though Rinna's wines are sparkling and Vanderpump's wines are still, both claim to capture the authentic taste of France.) Which bottle deserves to be the toast of Beverly Hills? Let's find out!
Who is Lisa Rinna and why is she making wine?
Lisa Rinna is an actress, entrepreneur, and reality television star — the modern day triple threat. And, as of this month, she can add winemaker to her lengthy resume. What started as a funny half-inebriated declaration that she wanted to "be the new rosé seller" on a cast trip several years ago has come to fruition for the outspoken star (via Bravo). At the time, the comment was a likely dig at Lisa Vanderpump — not a surprise since she previously bad-mouthed her former co-star's brand on the show (via Inquisitr). People reports the friendship was breaking at the time due to Rinna's frustration over Vanderpump using their air time to secure a spin-off show, so the remark was likely more of a cheap shot than a testament to the wine's quality.
We find it interesting that Rinna chose wine as the alcohol industry to step into when we rarely see her drinking the libation on the Housewives (she is usually keener to throw wine than to sip it). It was likely the name that made her and her hubby, actor Harry Hamlin, enter the business as "Rinna rosé" has a nice ring to it.
The duo partnered with Prestige Wine Group, the company behind Yes Way rosé, Rista sweet wines, and a dozen Greek wines. The new label intends to be an easy-drinking bubble filled with "unfiltered fun and spontaneity," according to the brand's marketing materials.
Who is Lisa Vanderpump and why does she love rosé wine?
Former "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Lisa Vanderpump, also known as LVP, left the franchise after much controversy after Season 9, but not before securing a Bravo few spin-off shows, including "Vanderpump Rules" and "Vanderpump Dogs," the show Lisa Rinna threatened legal action over. At the time, there was controversy over the adoption of castmate Dorit Kemsley's dog from LVP's shelter, which became a massive scandal with outspoken Lisa Rinna in the middle. Bravo shares Rinna accused LVP of using the "RHoBH" to secure a spin-off show. Their friendship, along with LVP's friendships with most of the ladies on the show, was over before the season wrapped (via Bravo).
Aside from being a reality television star, Vanderpump is a successful restauranteur and nightclub owner. The Hollywood Reporter shares that she and her husband, Ken Todd, have launched over 30 restaurants in her native England and adopted home of California. The publication continues that LVP prides herself on her strong work ethic and being a good hostess.
Vanderpump is often depicted on her multiple Bravo shows offering guests visiting her at her lavish mansion or her restaurants a glass of rosé (the gesture even precedes the 2017 launch of Vanderpump Wines). Her family (Vanderpump's daughter Pandora Todd Sabo and son-in-law Jason Sabo are also involved in the business) partnered with Palm Bay Imports to create the brand which is produced in Provence, France.
Where do the wines originate?
While a string of feuds has caused a rift between Lisa Vanderpump and Lisa Rinna (via Bravo), the two share a connection when it comes to their rosé wines: They both found inspiration in the South of France.
Lisa Vanderpump revealed her love of the light, dry rosé wines of the South of France when describing the inspiration for the Vanerpump Wines label. Before moving to Beverly Hills, she and her family lived in Provence, where she fell in love with the refreshing wine she enjoyed there. In an interview with Wine Enthusiast, she notes it was essential to create a classic Côtes de Provence wine honoring the region's history.
Provence is the oldest wine region in France. And Provence has a history. Wine grapes were first introduced in the area by the Phoenicians 2600 years ago (via Vins de Provence). The consortium adds Romans took the grapevines from Provence north into the rest of the Rhone region 400 years later. Vanderpump rosé comes from grapes grown in Côtes de Provence from the interior near the foot of the Sainte Victoire Mountains.
Like LVP, Rinna found her label's inspiration in the South of France. In 2019 "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" filmed a cast trip in the famed wine region. LVP skipped the excursion, and over an afternoon filled with (lots of) rosé wine in Provence, Rinna declared she wanted to become a winemaker. The new sparkling rosé label also comes from Southern France near the Mediterranean, where vines enjoy the influence of the sea and the balmy Mediterranean climate.
How are the wines made?
Light, pale pink rosé wines made from red grapes have been a part of the Provençal lifestyle from early on. Vins de Provence shares that the region has been producing rosé wine since planting the first vines. The color of a finished wine comes from the skins, also known as anthocyanin. Today, red wine producers leave harvested fruit on the skins to macerate, giving the juice color. Centuries ago, red grapes were not left to soak. Instead, the grapes were pressed shortly after arriving at the winery, producing natural blush-colored wine.
Today a similar process occurs with grapes pressed shortly after harvest. Crafting wines from Provence with this signature pale salmon color is a requirement for all Appellation d'Origine Protégée (Protected Designation of Origin) according to French law (via Vins de Provence).
Lisa Vanderpump's and Lisa Rinna's wines achieve a similar salmon-like color by pressing the juice shortly after harvest. Rinna's sparkling wine goes through a secondary fermentation to create bubbles. A representative for the winery shared with Tasting Table that the wine goes into a stainless steel tank where the secondary fermentation lasts for four to six weeks before being bottled under pressure.
This process, also known as the Charmat method, is commonly used to produce Prosécco. A portion of sugar and yeast is added to the still wine in the tank, which creates and traps carbon dioxide creating a sparkler with a fresh, frothy texture.
Where can Vanderpump Rosé and Rinna brut sparkling rosé be purchased?
Vanderpump Rosé launched in 2017. The debut was the follow-up to the brand's line of sangria, which debuted three years prior (via The Hollywood Reporter). Today the rosé, as well as the brand's follow-up Sonoma cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, are available nationwide. Not surprisingly, the wine is also available at Lisa Vanderpump's various bars and restaurants in California and Las Vegas, including her, recently opened Vanderpump à Paris in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.
A spokesperson for the brand shared with Tasting Table that Rinna Wines sparkling brut and sparkling brut rosé are debuting in select states starting in October 2022, including cities in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. According to Prestige Wine Group, the label is scheduled for a nationwide release in early 2023. As the brand hasn't reached Orange County, California retailers quite yet, the winery provided Tasting Table with a sample for editorial consideration.
How much does each of the rosé wines cost?
When Lisa Vanderpump and her family looked to create their rosé wine, they wanted it to be accessible for all interested in enjoying it, a little bit of affordable luxury. In an interview with Wine Enthusiast, she remarks that they wanted to create something luxurious but still an everyday possibility.
She also likely wanted to keep it at a price that would be able to slip into a restaurant's by-the-glass wine program, as it has at her nightclubs. Vanderpump Rosé has an average retail cost of $19 a bottle, a reasonable price compared to other quality Provençal rosé wines.
The price tag for sparkling wine from France is all over the board, ranging from single digits to thousands per bottle, making the cost of Vanderpump Rosé fairly reasonable considering the quality. According to Global Newswire, Lisa Rinna has had her hand in all aspects of her sparkling wine creation. Presumably, that would include the wine's price, which has a suggested retail price of $25, though it is currently available in Minnesota for a few dollars less, according to Wine-Searcher.
This is the best way to drink the wines
Before taking another sip of rosé, here is what you need to know when selecting your glassware. As Rinna rosé is a sparkling wine, the tall, slender flute glass will accentuate the bubbles shooting from the base of the glass through the inviting liquid. But Champagne flutes are so divisive.
We think the coupe glass is a better option. The festivity and merriment the vessel evokes reminds us of a bygone, Gatsby-like era which is in line with Rinna's playful, vivacious, outspoken persona. Though the glass doesn't hold the aromatics or bubbles as well as other options, like the tulip glass preferred by Comité Champagne, holding a coupe glass in your hand makes you feel like it is time to celebrate.
For drinking a still, non-sparkling dry rosé table wine, premium glass producer, Riedel, suggests a glass that will emphasize the freshness and the fruity flavor profile of the wine while taming the natural acidity of the wine. The tall, diamond-shaped Riedel Veloce rosé glass with a full bowl will allow the wine to breathe, bringing out the full complexity of the aromas, even in the most subtle rosé wines.
How does Rinna's rosé taste?
Earlier this season on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin did a taste test of the new selections with Rinna's other castmates. Of the wines the women tried, the sparkling rosé was a clear favorite, with Hamiln agreeing, saying the "rosé is perfection" (via Bravo). He added, "they needed a bit more work on the brut."
Rinna sparkling brut rosé is a blend of predominantly grenache, with the remaining 40% of the mix being syrah and cinsault. The dry sparkling wine is radiant and effervescent, much like its namesake. The Rhone Valley varieties create a fragrant, fizzy wine opening with aromas of wild lavender and violets with orange blossoms.
The palate reveals fruit-forward notes of wild strawberry, raspberry, and blood orange with a subtle spice that gives the wine a lift on the finish. With a mild alcohol level of 12%, the wine is enjoyable on its own without needing food to cut through a high-alcohol bite in the sparkling wine.
Though the palate is dry, the residual sugar level is 11 grams per liter, giving a fruity sweetness to the overall taste without becoming cloying. It is an easy-going, uncomplicated, nicely refreshing bubbly best served well chilled, sipped on its own, or added to your favorite Champagne cocktails.
How does Vanderpump Rosé taste?
Creating a wine that captured the essence of Côtes de Provence rosé was essential in making Vanderpump Rosé, per Lisa Vanderpump (via Wine Enthusiast). The reality star shares that rosé was a part of every meal she enjoyed with her family while they lived in the region years ago.
Capturing authenticity with a sense of place is what the French call terroir, and the historic region of Provence exudes terroir. Rocky, schist, and limestone soils give a minerality to the wine. Wild shrubs of sagebrush, lavender, rosemary, and thyme, which the French call the garrigue, give earthy herbaceous flavors to the wine. All vineyards are less than 25 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, providing a slightly salty, briny note from constant saline-filled breezes moving off the water through the vines.
This herbal, saline, mineral character mixes with days of eternal sunny daylight, ripening the fruit. Wine-Searcher reports Provence enjoys up to 3000 hours of sunshine a year, producing fruity, refreshing, juicy wine that melds fruit with structure and balance.
Vanderpump Rosé blends cinsault, grenache, and spicy syrah, from the interior valley of Provence, where wine grapes and the garrigue are intertwined, creating a gastronomic, food-friendly 13% ABV wine with a dry palate. Aromas of tangerine and wild berry mix with woody herbs and purple flowers, giving way to red fruits, golden apricot, and crushed pink peppercorn flavors with touches of wet stone minerality.
Which foods pair best with the wines?
The flavors of the Mediterranean are a natural pairing with juicy, refreshing, sunshine-filled dry rosé wines. For pairing with Vanderpump rosé, we recommend any shellfish or seafood. Enjoying the wine with fresh oysters with squid ink, a steamy bowl of mussels in garlic and wine, or bourride fish stew with aioli will transport you to the Côte d'Azur, creating the perfect French dinner party recipes inspired by Provence. According to Taste France, oysters are native to France and have been there since Roman times.
We recommend spicy, fried, or fruity dishes to pair with Rinna's sparkling rosé. The slight sweetness in the bubbly will mellow spicy dishes, including your favorite hot pepper recipes, and the acidity will cut through the fatty, fried flavors, like spicy Nashville hot chicken.
Rinna sparkling wine's fruity character will also meld nicely with fresh berry tarts. Vinepair shares that wine should always have more sweetness than the accompanying dish. Rinna's rosé wine has a bit more sweetness than fresh berries to become a perfect complement to the fruit's flavors.
Which rosé should you buy?
Lisa Vanderpump's rosé is a dry, still, non-sparkling wine, while Rinna's is a lively sparkling wine, so you can't compare the wines directly. However, the two have complementary flavors. Both selections blend Rhone varietal grapes, including grenache, cinsault, and syrah. They are also fruit-forward wines from sun-drenched vineyards near the Mediterranean, enjoying the sea's influence on the vineyards.
To say which is the best is based more on personal preference. If you are a Prosecco fan or enjoy fruit-forward, easy-going sparkling wines, you will likely love Rinna's new selection. If you prefer non-sparkling, still, dry rosé wines with approachability, balance, and food-friendliness, you will enjoy LVP's rosé.
We enjoyed both, recommending Rinna's sparkling rosé wine to enjoy during cocktail hour as an aperitif or at the end of a meal instead of dessert. Vanderpump Rosé is the wine we want to drink with a meal any time of year, from hot summer days through the winter months. In other words, both of these wines are better suited for drinking, not tossing.