‘ANTM’ judge Nigel Barker is the new face of Invivo Wines

Former “America’s Next Top Model” judge Nigel Barker thinks he may have been a wine smuggler.

Barker, who just signed on to be the US face of New Zealand’s Invivo Wines, tells On the Money he traveled a lot for the show, and always took an interest in wine wherever he went.

On one trip, he visited New Zealand and connected with the owners of the company, asking them to send him their sauvignon blanc. Some got through, some didn’t, he says. Invivo also has British comic Graham Norton touting the fun booze brand in the UK.

Barker says that wine was on the table since he was 14. “I grew up drinking wine. Wherever I’ve gone I’m always seeking it out, and with ‘ANTM,’ we got to travel all over the world.” One of the show’s producers brought him a New Zealand wine and connected him to the winemakers.

“You couldn’t get it here until now, so for the past six years both [co-founders] Tim Lightbourne and Robert Cameron have been sending me wine, smuggling it to me in the US.” Barker says he eventually would like to make his own wine.