Global music icon Avril Lavigne has partnered with premium wine brand, Banshee Wines, to launch a new limited-edition Pinot Noir inspired by her breakout 2002 single, ‘Complicated’.
Retailing for $30, the wine is described as a light, velvety Pinot Noir with bright cherry and raspberry notes. ‘Complicated’ will be available exclusively on the Banshee Wines website, and, while stocks last, at the Banshee tasting room for purchase and sampling.
“Over the last two years on my Greatest Hits Tour, I was rocking out with the Banshee bar set up backstage every night, ready for the afterparty, so teaming up on our own wine just felt right,” said Avril Lavigne. “I hope that everyone can crack open a bottle with their best friends, blast the music that started it all for me, and enjoy the moment. Life can be complicated, but a good glass of wine doesn’t have to be.”
The release builds on a successful partnership between the ‘Sk8er Boi’ singer and Banshee launched in 2024. To toast the launch of the new wine, Banshee is offering a limited run of 50 “Sip and Spin” kits that may be added to a wine purchase. Each kit includes a record player and the popstar’s Let Go album on vinyl.
That’s the spirit
Jason Daniel, chief marketing officer of FFWS, said: “The ‘Complicated’ collaboration fuses Avril’s unmistakable artistry and rock ’n’ roll spirit with our winemaking craft, giving fans a new way to connect with her music.
“It also highlights why Banshee has become one of the fastest-growing U.S. wines and a top 15 California Ultra-Premium brand, recognized with the coveted Impact Hot Prospect award for five consecutive years.”
While Lavigne’s new to wine, it’s not her first rodeo in the alcohol business. In 2024, she teamed up with R2D brand BeatBox to launch a Pink Lemonade cocktail.
And Dolly Parton, Brad Pitt and Robbie Williams are just a few fellow celebs who’ve launched their own wine brands. While the rate of celebs entering the alcohol market has slowed from 2022, it’s far from over.
Star power’s pros and cons
“With celebrity involvement, a brand immediately has a personality ready-made,” Emily Neill, COO of Market Research, IWSR, previously told the drinks business. “Non-celebrity brands, by contrast, have to work over a period of time to create their personality and positioning.”
There’s no doubt that celebrity backing can be a major draw. Kylie Minogue’s wine brand, Launched in May 2020 in partnership with Paul Schaafsma of Benchmark Drinks, has sold more than 15 million bottles since their union began.
However, celebrity-backed brands are high risk as well as high reward. Negative press about celebrities inevitably attracts significantly more attention across the world’s media than a non-celebrity brand. And brands can also lose their identity should the celebrity backer walk away, as happened with David Beckham with Haig Club in 2023.
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