I’ll put the spoiler first. For this article, we tasted a lot of wines made by celebrity athletes, and guess what? A surprising number were really, really good.
That’s where this wine critic says mea culpa; my assumption has always been that most celebrity brands are cynical marketing exercises: some famous someone’s flavored vodka, shilled to fans for a quick buck.
With the surprisingly fast rise in additive-free tequila that has shaken up the industry, another spirit may be primed for its own reevaluation of additives and transparency. The rum industry is rife with the use of additives — ingredients added after a rum has already developed its natural flavor through the distillation process. And producers, depending on the country of origin and amount used, aren’t required to disclose this fact. Among the most common additives are sweeteners, flavorings, and caramel color, for consistency. We’re not talking about flavored or spiced rums, which by their very nature have added ingredients post-distillation.
Published By: Wine Industry Advisor
April 30, 2026 (San Francisco, CA) — COME TOGETHER—A Community for Wine Inc., the mission-driven company behind the Come Over October™ and Share & Pair Sundays™ wine advocacy campaigns, today announced the launch of the second annual Share & Pair Sundays campaign, running May 3 through June 28, 2026. Across nine consecutive Sundays, anchored by Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the unofficial start of summer, the campaign invites consumers to gather around a table for the simple, time-honored ritual of sharing wine and food with the people they love.
Published By: VinePair
It’s a simple idea: Open a bottle of wine, set out some snacks, and connect with friends and family on a spring Sunday. That’s the premise of Share & Pair Sundays, an initiative now in its second year from the same team behind Come Over October. This year’s campaign runs from May 3 through June 28 and might be exactly what we need in these fast-paced, screen-first times.
