• The Wall Street Journal, Monday, September 17, 2007 11:45 AM

Gallo Winery is preparing to launch a Martha Stewart line of wine early next year. Dubbed Martha Stewart Vintage, the labels will feature a calligraphy-like design with her initials on it; the Gallo name won't appear on the label.

The $15-a-bottle line will include chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot varieties, and will be made from grapes grown primarily in Sonoma County, Calif. Gallo is expected to heavily promote the wine with print ads and other marketing efforts. But in its first year, just 15,000 cases will be released with distribution restricted to cities where Stewart has her strongest fan base.

According to executives at Gallo, Stewart approached them with the idea of producing a new wine--and wanted to have a say in what the wine would taste like. One question is whether consumers will regard Stewart as an expert in wine.

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