War of the Rosé: A-list actor demands to know who co-owns his vineyard

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Angelina Jolie's shares in a French vineyard that she co-owned with ex-husband Brad Pitt are now in the control of a secret trust held in Jersey, it has emerged.

The Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rosé, is at the centre of a long-running court battle between the former celebrity couple – dubbed the "War of the Rosé".

Mr Pitt and Ms Jolie owned the 1,300-acre estate jointly, and even got married in its 17th Century farmhouse in August 2014.

But after their acrimonious separation in 2016, Ms Jolie sold her stake in the business to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler for $64million in 2021.

Mr Pitt claimed that his ex-wife had breached an agreement that they would give each other first refusal.

Pictured: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie owned the Chateau Miraval estate jointly, and even got married in its 17th Century farmhouse in August 2014.

Ms Jolie countered that she had offered to sell her Miraval stake to her ex-husband, but that talks fell through after Mr Pitt introduced a provision stopping her from talking publicly about events leading to the split, forcing her to look elsewhere for a buyer.

The Financial Times previously reported that Mr Shefler’s company, Stoli Group, alleged that it has been frozen out of the running of Miraval by Mr Pitt.

Ms Jolie and Mr Shefler accused Mr Pitt’s team of launching a “xenophobic, untrue smear campaign worthy of Putin himself”, according to court filings. 

Mr Pitt’s lawyers accused Ms Jolie of forcing the actor into a partnership with “a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions” – and argued that Mr Shefler’s ownership “threatens harm to Miraval’s carefully honed reputation and brand” due to his alleged association with Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. 

Stoli Group denied the allegation, telling the Financial Times that “Stoli and Mr Shefler have been fighting a well-publicised and well-documented battle against Putin for over 20 years".

"Mr Shefler’s business practices or professional associations are nothing other than reputable," they added.

Pictured: The Chateau Miraval estate produces an award-winning sparkling rosé.

The War of the Rosé has so far been waged in courtrooms in France, Luxembourg, and Los Angeles – but recently reached British shores after it emerged that the French vineyard is now co-owned by a secret trust held in Jersey.

Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that Mr Pitt is "demanding answers" about who co-owns the French vineyard after it emerged that the ultimate owner of the shares is a Jersey trust controlled by a company of which Mr Shefler is not a shareholder.

The Daily Mail reported that "a source close to the actor" said that Mr Pitt "wants Jersey to start providing answers".