Wine Star: Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker knows that she may not be a wine expert, but she’s a dedicated student.

An acclaimed actress and producer, best known for her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and MAX’s And Just Like That…, Parker is also turning heads in the wine world, with her own New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that has earned outstanding scores. She took the stage at the Wine Experience for a conversation about her wine endeavor with senior editor MaryAnn Worobiec, taster for the wines of New Zealand.

Both from small-town Ohio, and lovers of theater and great shoes, MaryAnn Worobiec and Sarah Jessica Parker have bonded in their talks together. (Daphne Youree)

“I pick experiences [and projects] where in fact I can learn, and that I can surround myself with people who are much smarter and [more] experienced than me,” Parker said of her investment in New Zealand–based Invivo, co-founded by Rob Cameron and Tim Lightbourne. “If I can be 100 percent involved—for better or for worse—then I am much more inclined to say yes.”

Parker announced the collaboration with Invivo in 2019; Cameron and Lightbourne had reached out to her to see if she would like to partner with them, but she was hesitant at first. Though she enjoyed wine then, she said she knew barely anything about it and, when at restaurants, would pass off the wine list to her friends.

Tim Lightbourne joined MaryAnn Worobiec and Sarah Jessica Parker on stage after two nights of pouring at the Grand Tastings. (Daphne Youree)

“I asked [Cameron and Lightbourne] if they were willing to teach me. ‘Can this be an ongoing masterclass? Is there room for me to grow and learn?’” Parker explained. “And perhaps the greatest experience has been, best of all, allowing me to work with these two wonderful men.”

Parker works on several facets of the company with the duo, from blending to production, distribution and marketing. She didn’t want to just slap her name on the label, she said, so Cameron and Lightbourne became her wine mentors. They met her where she was at, developing their own language during blending. “I’m not sure if my vocabulary has evolved or if Tim and Rob’s has been altered” Parker said to laughs. “I knew nothing about the expected language that you all [in the wine industry] use. I wasn’t sure if I could adopt it and have it be meaningful.”

Sarah Jessice Parker is fully devoted to this project, even using her pinky to create the signature X on the label. (Daphne Youree)

Asked about her most recent release, the Invivo Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough X, Sarah Jessica Parker 2022 (93 points, $22), Parker said, “I describe this wine as, well her, as more of a full-figured Sauvignon Blanc. Less architectured. Less height … It’s a slightly unexpected Sauvignon Blanc, but is still honoring what those who love it want.” A blend from five estate vineyards, the succulent 2022 is ripe with tropical fruit notes and has a friendlier texture, according to Worobiec. Wine Spectator has rated all four of Parker’s Sauvignon Blanc vintages 90 points or higher in blind tastings, and in Worobiec’s opinion, the wine keeps getting better each year.