Ramona Singer Pinot Grigio Excites Housewives Fans

LALATE.com:

Ramona Singer’s Pinot Grigio could be the silent hit of the season’s Real Housewives of New York. Pinot Grigio and Ramona Singer are inseparable this season of New York Housewives prompting fans to exclaim on Facebook “where can I buy Ramona Singer’s Pinot Grigio?” In fact, after years of reality stars pushing upon fans to buy their cliché workout tapes and weight loss pills, Singer is parlaying her exposure on Housewives into a Pinot Grigio storyline, both on screen and off-screen. A quick perusal of Singer’s secondary Facebook account reveals at least fifty fans since last night alone asking about where to purchase the Pinot Grigio, suggesting that demand may be exceeding supply.


It’s been hard to go even one episode without Pinot Grigio becoming the core of the feud between the blondes and the brunettes this season. In one episode, the Housewives battled over the exclusion of the beverage at a function.


But much like Vicki Gunvalson’s love of Coto Insurance has become a battleground in this season’s OC Housewives, with Gunvalson finding more comfort in time at work than with her own husband, Singer’s love of pinot grigio has become often the battleground of disputes between the ladies. But therein could rest the jealously.


The coupling of celebrities with beverages has been a big business the last decade. Now reality stars that tried to push traditional brands like handbags, jewelry, and creams are realizing that distribution channels for beverages can lead to far more lucrative careers. The first notable sale this decade was when rapper 50 Cent teamed with Glacéau in the deployment of Vitamin Water. By 2007, Coca-Cola bought Glacéau for US$4.1 billion bringing the rapper far in excess of $100 million from the sale.


Beverages don’t all compete against each other. Market researcher Nielsen Co., for example, ranks sales of beverages according to types of spirits. For example, from January to February, in the ready-to-drink cocktail category, Nielson reported that Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita topped the competition, earning $218 million during that period.


Today, Singer’s distribution is growing (see here). “The vines ranged in age from 15-20 years old in soil of calcareous origin that is rich in limestone. The grapes were hand-picked and immediately crushed upon reception at the cellar” Singer says in a news statement this week. “The next process is the fermentation of the wine in stainless steel tanks which took 15 days. The wine was then filtered and fined before resting in a temperature controlled tank for 2-3 months.”