Supermodel, actress and entrepreneur Kate Upton is no stranger to the pages of Wine Spectator (or nearly any other magazine in existence, probably), but until now, it was only her deep love for wine and future baseball Hall of Famer Justin Verlander that had piqued our interest. We delighted as one of the biggest power couples in sports and fashion fell in love with wine together, stealing the show at Auction Napa Valley 2016 before partnering with Tusk Estates proprietor Tim Martin on Spring Mountain's Immortal Estate in 2019. (We hope Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are taking notes …)
When Upton wasn't busy going viral with her quarantine Cabernet posts on Instagram during the pandemic, she was plotting her next big move in the adult beverage space. Last month, she joined canned cocktail maker Vosa Spirits as co-owner.
Ready-to-drink canned cocktails, or RTDs, represent one of the fastest-growing segments in the drinks market (along with canned wine), attracting celebrity-backed entries from famed brother Joe Jonas (Fizzy Sangria), BravoTV's Andy Cohen (Fresca Mixed), gossip girl Blake Lively (Betty Booze), pro wrestler John Cena (Thomas Ashbourne Collection) and many more.
Upton's lineup from Vosa Spirits features two premixed vodka-based cocktails made with natural fruit juices and available in peach, lemon, pineapple and other flavors: Vodka Water (5 percent ABV, $14 per 4-pack of 12-ounce cans, not carbonated) and High Line (7 percent ABV, $16 per 4-pack, carbonated).
"I love sharing a drink with friends and family," Upton said in a statement announcing her new position as Vosa co-owner. "Making sure I'm drinking something that's free of preservatives and made with high-quality spirits is important to me. I'm excited to work with Vosa on expanding their range and offering more and more consumers an easy way to an elevated drinking experience."
Supermodels in Wine and Spirits
While Kate Upton loves and invests in Napa Cabernet and ready-to-drink canned cocktails, many of her supermodel colleagues have been drawn to something a bit more sparkly: Both Christie Brinkley (Bellissima) and the Delevigne sisters (Della Vite) fell in love with Prosecco, recently launching their own brands, as did designer Vera Wang. Supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss each worked with designer Karl Lagerfeld on limited-edition Dom Pérignon bottlings and merchandise.
In the tequila category, you may remember Cindy Crawford's ads with Provence vintner George Clooney for their Casamigos brand (purchased by Diageo in 2017 for $700 million), and Kardashian sister Kendall Jenner launched her 818 Tequila brand in 2021.
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