Dolly Parton has introduced her first collection of wines, Dolly Wines, in collaboration with Parton Family Cellars and Accolade Wines.
The first release, Dolly Wines California Chardonnay 2023 went on sale in the United States in July, with a Rosé and Prosecco debuting in the United Kingdom soon after.
A fourth varietal, Dolly Sparkling, will launch in Australia in September 2024.
The 78-year-old singer was involved in every step of the winemaking process for the Dolly Wines range. She offered input on taste as well as the look and feel of each bottle.
The partnership is a huge coup for Accolade Wines and coincides with the company buying Pernod Ricard’s wine portfolio.
Parton has the largest fan base of all measured music artists in the YouGov database at No.1 with 198 million. She has sold more than 100 million albums, stared in movies, founded non-profits and is adored the world over. Her huge social media cache includes 7.8 million Facebook and 7 million Instagram followers.
She also recently won Best Brand Award, Celebrity, Influencer and Fashion at the 2023 Licensing International Excellence Awards.
Parton revealed the partnership with Accolade Wines during Fan Fair X at the 51st CMA Music Festival.
“Sometimes when you live long enough, you get what you call your brand,” she said.
“That means your name is familiar enough that everybody wants you to put your name on a product. “I only put my name on things that I believe in. We are going to have some nice wines.”
“We are beyond excited to bring Dolly Wines to the world,” Accolade Wines Chief Marketing Officer Sandy Mayo said.
“Dolly herself was involved in all aspects of each wine, and we think they capture her captivating sense of fun and sparkle perfectly. Like the lady herself, we think everyone, everywhere will love it. Go ahead, pour yourself a cup of ambition!”
The packaging for the range was designed by Denomination.
“With the butterfly as Dolly’s signature symbol, our creative solution was to feature the butterfly both in the label shape as well as a scattering of holographic foiled butterflies within the label, bringing Dolly’s trademark sparkle to the brand design. Rhinestone details add further glamour to the pack design,” the design agency said.
“The headline ‘From me, to you, Love Dolly’ speaks to Dolly’s warmth and intimate relationship she has with her fans.
Accolade moves to align with celebrities
The release of Dolly Parton wines follows an alignment in 2022 with Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), the second largest beverage alcohol distributor of premium wine and spirits in the US.
It is a part of the strategic growth plan for Accolade in the Americas, in addition to high-profile collaborations such as J-Shed’s collection with NBA star James Harden.
“When we set out on this journey to expand into the Americas, we established some aggressive goals, but making Accolade Wines a household name was at the top of the list,” said Enrique Morgan, managing director of the Americas at Accolade Wines, at the time.
“As we continue to grow, bringing on top talent, creating collabs with like-minded brands and celebrities and the partnership with RNDC are all key pillars in the company’s overall plan to become a top wine supplier in the US.”
RNDC supports Accolade Wines including Anakena, Banrock Station, Da Luca, Echo Falls, Hardys, Haymaker, Grant Burge, House of Arras, J-Shed, Mud House, Petaluma, St. Hallett, Stones Ginger, and Tracker’s Crossing.
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