Meghan Markle has been criticised for selling wine as a product via her brand As Ever. Prior to the release of a 2024 vintage of Napa Valley rosé wine on August 5, Meghan previously had a 2023 version for sale from July 1.
Despite the premium £22 price tag and limited availability, the wine’s first launch last month sold out in just 45 minutes – with the second launch earlier this week not reflecting as much success as the first. Taking to her Instagram account, Meghan later revealed why the second batch didn’t sell out as fast, writing: “We made so much more this time round, and yet it’s still going fast! Don’t miss out”.
Despite the first batch of wine being a success, Jaimie Sarah, a branding expert and board advisor, has described wine as a “poor choice” of product for Meghan to sell in the first place for one major reason.
She told the Express: “I also believe that wine is a poor choice of product to include in the portfolio given the increasing numbers of people choosing to stop drinking alcohol due to the health implications.
“This is simply not in alignment with her brand values around family, connection, intentionality, creating memorable experiences etc.”
She then added: “In addition, while it’s a great story to be able to say that everything sold out in under an hour, consumers in 2025 are very savvy to false scarcity tactics as well as to poor forward planning and neither of these reflect well on the brand, especially given her values around authenticity.
“This kind of values mismatch can create unconscious resistance in buyers and therefore sadly inhibit sales.”
She even went a step durther and suggested that during her first launch back in March, Meghan should have not released anything food-related.
She added: “While she has an interesting origin story to share around making jam for friends and then getting lots of compliments, I actually think she shouldn’t have started with food, which is a far more competitive market with more downwards pressure on products price wise.”
Meghan’s latest post on her As Ever Instagram account, @aseverofficial, she shared a video, along with the caption: ‘Well served, and well deserved. Cheers!”
