US: E&J Gallo teams up with Martha Stewart

By just-drinks.com editorial team | 17 September 2007

E&J Gallo Winery has announced a deal with US television and magazine celebrity Martha Stewart, according to local reports.

The California-based company has entered into an agreement with Stewart to sell a brand of wines in the country called Martha Stewart Vintage. The brand will roll out in six cities in the US starting from January.

The brand will consist of a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot and will retail for around US$15 a bottle.

In a report in the Wall Street Journal late last week, sources close to the situation were cited as saying that Martha Stewart Vintage will be a limited edition brand, with 15,000 cases being made available initially. The Gallo name will not appear on the bottles, the sources told the paper.

"Wine is an important part of entertaining and cooking - and that's our leading core content area," Elizabeth Estroff, vice president of corporate communications at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia told the paper. "As we built up our offerings, particularly with food, we were interested in exploring this area."

No-one was immediately available for comment at E&J Gallo when contacted by just-drinks today (17 September).

Sectors: Wine

Companies: Gallo