The model and socialite has formally stepped into drinks. According to thedrinksbusiness.com, Lady Eliza Spencer has rolled out a Provence pink wine in a deal that locks distribution to a single upscale London retailer.
It's a familiar celebrity-wine formula, but the retail exclusivity, the label story and the £27 ticket make this one worth a closer look from anyone who actually buys pink wine rather than just posts about it.
- Brand: Lala V, fronted by Lady Eliza Spencer.
- Region: Côtes de Provence.
- Sole UK stockist: Hackstons, Knightsbridge (store and online).
- RRP: £27 per bottle.
- Label origin: combines a childhood nickname with the French word for life.
Who she is, and why it matters for the launch
She's the daughter of the ninth Earl Spencer and the niece of the late Princess of Wales. That puts her a step away from the British royal circle, a fact the marketing machine will lean on whether the wine is any good or not.
She's also spent years building a working modelling career. Runway credits include Versace, Armani, Roberto Cavalli and Michael Kors, with editorial work in Vogue. She grew up in Cape Town before relocating to England in 2021. That résumé gives her a ready-made press book, and a list of fashion contacts who can be tapped for placements on day one.
What the wine is, and where it sits on the shelf
The bottle is a classic Provence pale pink, packaged to read as a gift purchase. Tasting notes supplied by the brand describeripe peach and subtle citrus on the nose, with a smooth, fresh palate and an elegant, lingering finish. Nothing in the brief pushes it into the crunchy, saline category that the newest Provence producers are chasing; it's pitched firmly at the weddings-and-house-warming end of the market.
Hackstons, the Knightsbridge wine and spirits merchant, holds the only UK retail window. That single-retailer setup is doing a lot of work here: scarcity is doing the storytelling that a higher price might otherwise have to carry. For buyers used to seeing the same Provence shelf at every grocer, that's the actual hook.
Pricing: where Lala V lands
At £27, the wine is priced above the supermarket stalwarts. The reference point most UK buyers will reach for is Whispering Angel, which usually retails somewhere between £18 and £23 a bottle depending on the vintage and the merchant. Château Miraval sits in a similar band. Minuty, another household name in the category, runs from about £15 at entry level up to roughly £25 for the prestige cuvée.
Lala V is therefore bracketed comfortably above the mass-market leaders and well clear of the trophy bottles. Garrus from Château d'Esclans can hit £100, and Clos du Temple from Gérard Bertrand climbs past £170. Anyone comparing notes in a bar will immediately clock that Lala V is positioned as an accessible premium pour, not a collector flex.
What it means for you
Say you're the person who always gets handed the wine list at a birthday dinner. Lala V at £27 is a defensible pick: more interesting than the house pour, cheaper than the trophy bottles, and wrapped in a name your table will already have opinions about. The single-retailer stockist is the only friction. Plan ahead if you want it in hand for a specific date.
If you shop at Hackstons, this is a curated drop rather than a standing shelf line. Expect allocations to feel tight for the first few months, with the in-store experience doing most of the heavy lifting before the online channel catches up.
Our analysis
Celebrity wine has matured from a novelty into a functioning sub-segment of the rosé category. The bar to clear in 2024 is no longer a glossy label and a press release; it has to compete on tasting, price and distribution. Lala V passes the first two easily. The third is the interesting bet: locking to Hackstons trades volume for control of the brand story, which is a sensible trade at launch but becomes a ceiling if it stays in place for too long.
Beneficiaries here are Hackstons, who get a headline SKU to drive footfall, and Lady Eliza, who keeps pricing and positioning under her own roof. Losers are the supermarkets and the wider on-trade: they won't see margin from this drop, and the visibility of celebrity pink wine at retail prices above £25 may harden shopper expectations across the category. The earlier Cannes row over an unpaid styling request barely registered against the launch coverage, which suggests the British public has decided aristocrat-adjacent rosé is a forgivable indulgence.
What to watch next
Keep an eye on whether Hackstons extends the exclusivity window or quietly widens distribution after the first vintage sells through. Watch the second release: a red, a sparkling, or a Provence white would tell you whether this is a one-bottle brand play or the start of a real house. And watch whether the price holds at £27, or creeps up as allocations tighten.
Key takeaways
- Lady Eliza Spencer has launched a Provence rosé in partnership with Hackstons.
- The £27 price puts it above Whispering Angel and below the trophy cuvées.
- Single-retailer exclusivity is the core marketing strategy for the first vintage.
- A second SKU is the clearest signal of long-term intent.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Lady Eliza Spencer?
She is a British model and socialite, daughter of the ninth Earl Spencer and niece of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Where is Lala V Rosé sold?
Only at Hackstons, in Knightsbridge, both in store and online.
How much does Lala V Rosé cost?
£27 per bottle.
How does it compare to other Provence rosés on price?
It is more expensive than Whispering Angel, Miraval and Minuty, but well below prestige cuvées such as Garrus and Clos du Temple.
What does the name Lala V mean?
It pairs a childhood nickname of Lady Eliza's with the French word for life.
Source: thedrinksbusiness.com
