How Supermodel Christie Brinkley Built Award-Winning Wine Brand Bellissima

The organic and vegan beverage line was created in 2016.

Christie Brinkley was photographed by Emmanuelle Hauguel in Turks and Caicos. / Emmanuelle Hauguel/Sports Illustrated

Most of us know Christie Brinkley for her status as an iconic supermodel. The 70-year-old has been featured in 10 different issues of SI Swimsuit alone, and has starred on more than 500 magazine covers worldwide to date. 

But in addition to her work in front of the camera, Brinkley is also a trailblazer in the business sphere. She launched Bellissima, her sparkling Prosecco and wine brand, in 2016. The company’s fully organic and certified vegan offerings are health-conscious options that are crafted with sustainability in mind. 

While in Hollywood, Fla., for the 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit photo shoot with brand legends, including Brinkley, we caught up with the mom of three to learn more about Bellissima, including how the brand came to be and more.

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“I was like, definitely, I want to do this”

Brinkley indirectly has her love of gardening to thank for entering the beverage space. Vineyard cofounders Ro Faultings and Richard DeCicco approached her to partner with them on an organic wine brand after seeing her appreciation for all things organic on social media.

“I was so lucky to have been approached by a couple that found a vineyard in Italy that had never had any chemicals on it,” Brinkley explains. “They were making wine there … [and] they decided that they needed somebody that [could] talk about the organic story. I had recently gotten on [social media] at the time and I wasn’t sure what to talk about, so I kept talking about my garden. I wanted people to know that I wasn’t a trained gardener, but my gardens look gorgeous and I did it without any chemicals.”

Brinkley’s approach caught the attention of Faultings and DeCicco, and the rest is history. 

“They brought me four wines to taste and we sipped and we talked about how to turn this into a brand,” Brinkley shares. “By the end of the bottle, I was like, definitely, I want to do this.”

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“We … make our footprint as small as possible”

Since launching with the brand’s initial three zero sugar sparkling wines, Bellissima has expanded its offerings immensely. The latest, Bellissima Zero, is a line of zero sugar still wines that was co-developed by Brinkley. The fact that Bellissima’s products are 100% certified organic and certified vegan are directly in line with Brinkley’s personal ethos. 

“I’m a lifelong vegetarian and I’m currently vegan, so that was important to me,” Brinkley explains. “We’re also non-GMO and we do everything we can to make our footprint as small as possible.”

And while it’s nearly impossible for Brinkley to pick a favorite from the brand’s offerings, she does tend to pour herself a glass of two varieties more frequently than others. “I really, really love my Zero Sugar Sparkling Rosé [and] my original Zero Sugar Sparkling White Wine is fantastic,” she says. “I tend to stick with those.”

Don’t just take it from Brinkley, however. Bellissima Zero Sugar Sparkling Wine was awarded a gold medal at The Proof Awards in 2019, while Bellissima’s Prosecco DOC Brut received a gold medal at the USA Wine Ratings ’21. 

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“It’s better for our planet and it’s better for our health”

Brinkley loves sharing the story of Bellissima, and she says getting the brand’s beverages into the hands (and glasses) of happy customers has been the most rewarding aspect of the business thus far. 

“You can turn a Monday into a special day by popping a cork and just slowing down, sitting down,” Brinkley shares. “That’s what [the brand] means to me. It’s like just taking the time to enjoy your company, and I think that’s so important in this fast-paced world that we live in. [I’m thrilled] to be able to offer [products] that I’m proud of because it’s better for our planet and it’s better for our health. It’s just a healthier choice. If you’re going to imbibe, then it’s a healthier choice.”

Outside of the gratifying parts of being in business, there have also been struggles. Brinkley says that distribution has been the biggest hangup, though those challenges are not deterring her in the slightest from expanding the brand.

“The distribution [is] always a process,” she explains. “We’re now in several different countries, but we were poised to go into Australia and then we got hit with the COVID crisis and the same thing happened to England. So now we have to go through the paperwork again, get all of our claims and everything approved and get going. But we’re in Scandinavia, we’re in Azerbaijan, we’re spreading into lots of different places.” 

As for fellow women who are interested in embarking upon the world of business, regardless of industry, Brinkley has some sage advice to offer. 

“It’s important to know that it might not happen overnight,” she says of entrepreneurship.  “Perseverance is really [important]. You’ve got to just stick with it and you’ve got to believe in your product and just believe in what you're doing and stick with it.”