Celebrity sips

Brangelina gets into the wine biz with limited-supply rosé, coming soon toDallas shelves

There is little that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie cannot excel at — and thatincludes wine.
Drink Brangelina's rosé, and you will become more like them.

Not since Drew Barrymore released her Pinot Grigio has there been wine news as big as this. Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have entered the wine business and will release a French rosé that retails for about $25.

It's a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle. The wine will be available in Dallas in May but in very, very limited supply, says Jasper Russo of Sigel's, which coincidentally will be selling the stuff.

"There are only 48 cases coming to Dallas," says Jasper Russo of Sigel's. "This is pretty serious wine. It's the rosé they served at their wedding."

Miraval Côtes de Provence 2012 rosé was made in partnership with the Rhône Valley's Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel, under the new Jolie-Pitt & Perrin brand.

"There are only 48 cases coming to Dallas," Russo says. "Anything that's limited, people will buy. But this is pretty serious wine. It's the rosé they served at their wedding. They served 2011; this is the new release, 2012."

Perrin & Fils general manager Marc Perrin, who began working with Brangelina in 2012, says that this is not some celebrity wine. Brad knows his wine and is an "artist with a lot of dedication."

Château Miraval loves its celebrity encounters: Miraval's Pink Floyd rosé was named in honor of the band, who recorded The Wall at Le Studio de Miraval, a recording studio built at the winery after it was purchased by jazz pianist Jacques Loussier in 1970. Rock-star Tuscan vintner Sting, Sade, the Cranberries and the Gipsy Kings have recorded at Miraval as well.

Russo says the bulk of the wine will go to restaurants, and it will be sold as a "futures" offer, meaning that you pay in advance and get your wine delivered when it shows up in May.

"They sell futures on Bordeaux that you get two years later, but with Angelina Jolie's wine, you get it in two months," he says.

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Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

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