Gallo to launch "Martha Stewart Vintage" wines

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Martha Stewart is harvesting a vintage partnership, adding wine to a brand empire that includes everything from towels and wall clocks to patio furniture and houses.

E. & J. Gallo Winery said on Friday it would release wine under the "Martha Stewart Vintage" label in six U.S. cities beginning January 2008, selling for about $15 a bottle.

The initial release will include a 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay, a 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2006 Sonoma County Merlot, to be sold in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Phoenix and Portland, Oregon.

Total production for the release is 15,000 cases, the Modesto, California-based wine maker said in a statement.

"Wine is an important part of entertaining and cooking, two areas where Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has significant credibility and brand equity," Martha Stewart spokeswoman Elizabeth Estroff said in an e-mailed statement.

Gallo, one of the first wineries in California's Sonoma County, said it worked with Stewart and the food and beverage team from the media company that bears her name.

The wine line pairs with a deal the company announced this year with Costco Wholesale Corp for a line of frozen and refrigerated food.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia shares rose 13 cents, or more than 1 percent, to $11.86 on the New York Stock Exchange.