The Truth About Sarah Jessica Parker's Wine

Her fictional character Carrie Bradshaw may be a Cosmopolitan girl, but the real Sarah Jessica Parker is a wine connoisseur at heart. The "Sex and the City" actress launched her very own wines — a Sauvignon Blanc and rosé — in collaboration with New Zealand wine company Invivo & Co in 2019 (via Invivo Wines). Following the massive success and growing fanbase of the line, called Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker, the partners released a second round of vintages in 2020. Both the white and rosé blends have earned high praise and accolades from critics around the world, including being named among the 100 best wines in the world by Wine Spectator.

Of course, producing a brand-new line of New Zealand wines while living in pandemic-era New York City came with its challenges, but Parker rose to the occasion. The actress' wine is now available in almost all 50 states, both online and in select stores. Here's how Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker was born and why a personal note is behind the bottle's original label design.

Having launched her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker collection of footwear, accessories, and fragrances, Parker has long been familiar with product development. Still, she never predicted that she would create her own wine, let alone four different ones, she told Food & Wine. "My husband and I, we drink wine, we are consumers and we love our local wine stores," she said. "But I didn't know a great deal about the wine business and I actually wasn't thought of among my friends as 'the great Sauvignon Blanc drinker.'"

Needless to say, Parker was surprised when Invivo & Co called to ask if she wanted to collaborate — but as a fan of their wines, partnering with the company was a no-brainer for the actress. When it came time to blend their first vintage, Sauvignon Blanc felt like the obvious choice because it's a New Zealand specialty. Parker had all hands on deck from start to finish, and she even designed the bottle's label. "The X and the comma on the label is an intentional and personal touch, referencing my signature email and Instagram signoff: "X, SJ," Parker explains on her SJP website.

Being a wine drinker first and a professional winemaker second, Parker was ready to break a few rules when developing her premiere wine. While absorbing advice and knowledge from her Invivo & Co partners Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, the actress also relied on her own palate to produce a "fuller-figured lady" of a Sauvignon Blanc, she told Food & Wine. She's proud of the blend they created because it respected Sauv Blanc tradition but still "went a bit rogue," turning out "beautifully balanced" and more pronounced in flavor than similar white wines.

And because Parker knows a thing or two about developing profitable fragrances, the aroma of the Sauvignon Blanc was equally as important to her as its taste. The final product came together during a three-hour blending session in New York with her partners present. There, Parker had the opportunity to help combine the different notes and bouquets of New Zealand grapes, a process she described as feeling similar to perfume making. 

Per the Invivo X, SJP website, the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc has notes of grapefruit, honeysuckle, passionfruit, and citrus zest. It's described as a sweet-smelling, easy-drinking wine that strengthens in flavor on the palate, unique in taste as its blend is a combination of grapes from five different Marlborough region estates. This first vintage has earned more than a dozen accolades, receiving a score of 90 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2020 and taking home the gold in The New World Wine Awards in 2019. In her Food & Wine interview, Parker said her favorite food pairings with the blend are summer tomatoes and corn or French roasted chicken.

The collaboration's second Sauvignon Blanc, released in 2020, proved to be a more difficult venture due to the pandemic. Traveling to New Zealand for an in-person blending session was out of the question, so Parker and her partners created the wine virtually. Similar to the first vintage, the 2020 wine is citrusy and aromatic. It's also more savory and complex, with an oaky flavor and more noticeable tannins. Invivo & Co winemaker Rob Cameron recommends pairing this delectable, award-winning wine with oysters, salmon, Korean spicy beef, or a blue cheese and caramelized onion tart.

Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker called in the French experts for their rosé wines, according to the brand's website. For both the 2019 and 2020 vintages, the grapes were harvested at a family estate in Provence in the south of France. In the first year, the partners went for a mineral-rich rosé that would embody the beauty of rose petals paired with the flavor of summer berries. The wine earned a silver medal at the International Rosé Championship in 2020 and five stars from Wine Orbit. The 2020 vintage, on the other hand, is described as fresh and crisp, having undergone a fermentation process that resulted in a dry, mature, and vibrant wine.

Ready to buy a few bottles? According to Decanter, rosé wines pair best with meats like duck, lamb, or chicken, as well as with soft cheeses and Nicoise salad. A rule of thumb: The lighter the rosé, the more delicate the food should be, such as a fresh salad or simple charcuterie board.