According to an October 6th press release by the US Tenute del Mondo group, Angelina Jolie has sold them her shares in the Château Miraval and Miraval Provence brands that she and her former husband Brad Pitt helped to bring to global attention.
Different words come from a spokesperson of Famille Perrin which shared ownership with the Hollywood stars and was responsible for the winemaking. "There have been rumours in the past about a sale of Angelina Jolie's shares. So far, however, nothing has been official or signed," Maxime Simon, area sales director for Famille Perrin, told Meininger's.
Tenute del Mondo is a subsidiary of the Stoli Group, one of the world's leading spirits and wine companies, known for its Stolichnaya vodka brand, among others.
In his press release, Jon Pepper, Managing Director of Tenute del Mondo, comments, "Miraval complements our wine offering. With a rosé of this calibre, we are well positioned to meet the exquisite demands of customers and partners alike."
With the acquisition, the company would partner with Pitt. In 2009, the celebrity couple had acquired equal shares in the Provençal estate Château Miraval in Correns and developed the Miraval Provence brand in a joint venture with the Perrin family. Until now, the brand has continued to be jointly owned by the Rhone producers, and the pair of celebrities.
Tenute del Mondo is also owner of the Achaval Ferrer wineries in Argentina and Arínzano in Spain as well as co-owner - with the Frescobaldi family - of the Masseto, Ornellaia, Luce and Castel Giocondo wineries in Italy. According to the company , the Stoli Group's wine division was created to "build the world's leading portfolio of ultra-premium wineries,".
The Miraval estate now covers about 1,000 ha, of which about 50 ha are planted with vines. The portfolio includes the classic Miraval Côte de Provence white and rosé, the Studio line and the prestige Muse de Miraval" label. Recently, the house also launched its first rosé Champagne in collaboration with Pierre Peters.
