Usually, the social feeds of female celebrities are filled with glamour shots, selfies, and luxurious travel. Bottles of wine, on the other hand? Rarely to be seen. Not so for Eva Longoria. The former Desperate Housewives star-turned-entrepreneur is a huge wine aficionado — and not afraid to show it.
Here, we take a closer look at Longoria’s wine preferences, which range from the ultra-high end to the everyday and approachable. Across the board, one thing is clear: full bodied reds and light, crisp whites and rosés win the day.
On the luxe end: How about starting with a 1970 Pétrus? Chateau Pétrus, in the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, is known for having some of the most expensive wines in the world. As shown by this photo, Longoria clearly also has a palate for mature wines. This 1970 vintage has aged to the point where its secondary notes of tobacco, truffle, and licorice are emerging to meld with the primary fruit flavors of the wine.
Next up — let’s take a look at the Vega Sicilia Unico 2007 ($350). Vega Sicilia is considered to be a “first growth” of Spain, and is one of the oldest wines in the Ribera del Duero region. Vega Sicilia vintages are released only once they have reached ten years of age, so the pictured 2007 vintage is the newest. 2007 was a cold year in the Ribera del Duero, resulting in a wine that’s slightly lighter than prior vintages, with a firm structure and notes of oak and lively acidity. The critic’s take is that it might be better in a few years, but surely one can’t go too far wrong with the bottle now.
But Longoria’s tastes are not just limited to aged, old world reds — a few select new world reds have also made the cut. Below, Longoria posed with a double magnum of Silver Oak, a Cabernet Sauvignon maker that has pretty much achieved cult status in Napa Valley for its richness, depth of flavor, and signature oak aromas.
Longoria also supports fellow celebrity wines. This past July, a bottle of Brangelina’s Miraval rosé made it to her feed. Unlike many celebrity wines, which are more about the hype than the juice, Miraval actually earned critical acclaim. The 2014 Miraval vintage scored 90 points from Wine Spectator, and the most recent 2015 vintage achieved 91 points from Wine Enthusiast. Given the success of the rosé, early word is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may continue to invest in Miraval for the sake of their children.
Clearly Longoria is constantly exploring new wines. But she also has her regular favorites — all of which are still in incredibly good taste.
Making a frequent appearance on low-key occasions is the Jabot Chablis Fourchaume 2014 (approximately $40). This is your classic Chablis, with a beautiful balance of light, refreshing minerality and acidity balanced by lime and honeysuckle aromatics. Via Longoria, this seems to pair well with everything from a bag of popcorn to oysters.
Also a frequent star to Longoria’s feed is tempranillo — and in particular, the Flor de Pingus from Ribera del Duero. This wine typically retails at $95-100, and is made by Dominio del Pingus. Dominio del Pingus first gained acclaim in Bordeaux en primeur tastings, and has since skyrocketed in acclaim. Flor del Pingus is its lower-end cousin, and still is the 12th most searched for Spanish wine on Wine-Searcher.com. Interestingly, the 2013 is regarded as a bit young, with smoky dark fruit aromas but racy acidity that might need a few years to soften.
Longoria clearly has a sophisticated palate for crisp, Old World whites and rich, full-bodied reds. We certainly hope she joins the list of celebrities that become more involved in the wine world, either through investing in a winery or starting their own label. Judging from her tastes to date, we know it will be a wine we can trust!