Today, organic wines can still contain dozens of artificial ingredients and chemical additives. Cameron Diaz is on a mission to create a cleaner organic wine. The actress just launched Avaline, a new line of wines that are not only organic and vegan, but also free of artificial colorings, flavorings, and concentrates.
Photo credit: Justin Coit
“We don’t want you drinking something and not knowing what’s inside — because that’s not fair and we think you deserve better,” said Diaz. Currently, there are no regulations requiring winemakers to disclose the additives used in their wines. With Avaline, Diaz is creating her own standard for clean wine.
To create the wine, Diaz partnered with Katherine Power, CEO of clean skincare brand Versed. “A little over two years ago, @camerondiaz and I learned how wine is made. We were shocked,” said Power on Instagram. “The truth is, most winemakers add dozens of ingredients including colorants, concentrates, stabilizers, acidifiers, balancers, and other ingredients to wine to boost its look, aroma, flavor, and consistency. That means your favorite bottle could be tampered with up to 70-plus ingredients (approved by the TTB and other government agencies), such as oak powders for flavoring and diammonium phosphate (DAP) to accelerate fermentation.”
Diaz and Power set to work creating a wine with as few of these chemicals and artificial ingredients as possible. First, Avaline grapes are certified as organic by the Competent Body of Catalonia and Bureau Veritas Certification. Next, the winemaking process uses only Bentonite clay for filtration, and vegan, non-allergenic pea protein for clarifying and stabilizing the rosé. Additionally, sulfite levels are kept at a bare minimum — both the rosé and white wine contain under 100 ppm of sulfites.
In the spirit of making clean wine more accessible, Avaline is priced at an affordable $24 per bottle. The Avaline White Blend is a Spanish blend of Xarello, Macabeo, and Malvasía. Tasting notes promise crisp aromatics of lemon, lime, tropical fruit, and wildflowers, with a refreshingly dry finish. The Avaline Rosé is a Vin de France, with light, fresh aromatics of melon, citrus zest, and subtle spice.
Avaline defies convention not only in its clean winemaking approach, but also in its lighthearted philosophy towards wine. The rosé pairing suggestion is “the warmth of the sun and company of your best friend.” And Diaz encourages drinking the Avaline white wine over ice, topped with sparkling water — unlike most winemakers, who would not want to see their wines so casually consumed.
Many celebrity wines are short-lived, made on the whim of a quick profit. We’re optimistic that Avaline’s unique mission will make it more than just a passing fad. Hopefully, other wine brands might be inspired to increase the transparency of their own labels.
Avaline can be easily purchased online at Wine.com, and in some areas via Drizly and MiniBar. It is also available in stores including Fresh Thyme, Market Street, and most Harris Teeter stores, and will soon be rolling out to nationwide chains such as Sprouts, Target, Albertsons, Safeway, and Meijer. To learn more, visit DrinkAvaline.com.
Photo credit: Justin Coit