The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid
An aging screen legend dismantles her own mythology, revealing that the seven marriages remembered by the public obscured the relationship that defined her life.
The varietal
Pinot Noir-led traditional-method rosé · California’s North Coast
North Coast sparkling rosé places the pairing on Evelyn’s own California ground; Pinot Noir offers more red-fruited emotional weight and structural tension than a pale, linear Blanc de Blancs.
Ask for Dry, Pinot Noir-led traditional-method rosé—think California sparkling rosé or Champagne rosé
The category supplies red-fruit warmth beneath a polished, camera-ready surface, while bottle fermentation and lees aging create hidden depth behind the immediate flash of bubbles.
Accessible
~$18
Graham Beck Brut Rosé
Western Cape WO, South Africa · Pinot Noir and Chardonnay · NV, current release
Wild strawberry and raspberry ride a fine bead, with lemon peel and a dry, brisk finish.
Prose texture
Its clipped finish and persistent stream of small bubbles match Reid’s interview structure, in which brief answers accumulate until Evelyn’s concealed life becomes visible.
Refined
~$48
Schramsberg Vineyards Brut Rosé
North Coast, California · Pinot Noir and Chardonnay · 2020–2021
Cherry, blood orange, toast, and ginger combine California fruit with the savory depth of bottle aging.
Period alignment
Schramsberg was revived in 1965, placing its modern sparkling-wine story in the same decade as Evelyn’s Hollywood ascendancy and the private bargains sustaining it.
Prestige
~$90
Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé
Champagne, France · Pinot Noir · NV, current release
Precise raspberry and red currant deepen into rose petal, spice, and chalk without losing their poised acidity.
Metaphor
Made by macerating Pinot Noir skins rather than cosmetically blending in color, it gains its identity through prolonged contact—an apt structure for a confession that lets private desire finally alter the public record.
P.S. If your wine shop doesn't have these specific wines, just ask them for a Dry, Pinot Noir-led traditional-method rosé—think California sparkling rosé or Champagne rosé.
- Temperature
- 45–48°F
- Glass
- Tulip-shaped sparkling-wine glass rather than a narrow flute
- Decant
- Do not decant; open five minutes before pouring to let the aromatics emerge.
- Alongside
- Smoked-salmon blini at an awards-night watch party