Introduction
Are you curious what it would be like to have lavish dinners and wine tastings with rockstars like Jon Bon Jovi and Fergie? How does music impact your perception of wine?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with New York wine and spirits journalist, Céline Bossart.
You can find the wines we discussed here.
Watch Party
Join me for the debut Watch Party of the video of this conversation that I’ll be live-streaming for the very first time on Zoom on Wednesday, July 7th at 7 pm eastern.
You can save your spot for free right here. I’ll be jumping into the comments as we watch it together so that I can answer your questions in real-time.
I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer?
Highlights
- Why was Céline at an impromptu wine dinner with Jon Bon Jovi
- How do celebrity/winemaker partnerships work?
- What socio-political issues were highlighted with Kendall Jenner’s tequila endorsement?
- What can we learn from Mario Lopez’s agave spirit endorsement?
- Why was Céline’s interview with Fergie one of her all-time favourites?
- What is the connection between music and wine?
- How did Céline end up cycling around vineyards in platform boots?
- How did New Zealand wine bring Céline to an awesome superyacht experience?
Key Takeaways
- No matter which celebrity endorses a wine, it’s the winemaker who makes it that matters most. I agree that the person or winery producing the wine should be on the label as well. In some cases like the Miraval brand from southern France, the celebs formerly behind the wine, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aren’t on the label, but rather the much respected Perrin brothers are.
- I loved listening to Celine’s stories about meeting Jon Bon Jovi and Fergie. It’s nice to know that they’re decent people too.
- I’m fascinated with the impact music has on our perception and taste of wine. I plan to explore that more in future episodes.
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About Céline Bossart
Céline Bossart is a New York-based freelance writer, editor, photographer, and digital media specialist in the wine and spirits spaces, and particularly their socio-political dynamics. She’s been published in Eater, Wine Enthusiast, Billboard, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, and many more. In her spare time, Céline enjoys drinking wine and binge-watching true crime shows.
Resources
- Connect with Céline Bossart
- Céline Bossart’s Articles
- Ferguson Crest
- Unreserved Wine Talk | Episode 83: Are Celebrity Athlete Wines Great or Gimmicks? With Dr. Antonia Mantonakis
- My new class The 5 Wine & Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner And How To Fix Them Forever
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Thirsty for more?
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- You’ll find my books here, including Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.
- The new audio edition of Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass is now available on Amazon.ca, Amazon.com and other country-specific Amazon sites; iTunes.ca, iTunes.com and other country-specific iTunes sites; Audible.ca and Audible.com.
Transcript
Céline Bossart 0:00
I was on a wine trip to the Languedoc region in France and we were at the Gérard Bertrand winery. I was lucky enough to sit at Jon Bon Jovi’s table and we chatted a little bit about wine; it ended up being about Rosé that they launched, which is called Hampton Water.
Natalie MacLean 0:15
That’s funny because Hampton Water or Gator juice or whatever they call it, Rosé, is super popular.
Céline Bossart 0:21
Rosé is something that everybody can relate to in both the French market and the US market. So I think it was a smart choice for them to do rosé. I don’t know that it would have been as good of an idea to go with something obscure to the market in the United States, like a Languedoc varietal. I think it’s been doing well.
Natalie MacLean 0:39
I think it has been. It does well here in Canada as well.
Natalie MacLean 0:48
Do you have a thirst to learn about wine? Do you love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places, and amusingly awkward social situations? That’s the blend here on the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast. I’m your host, Natalie MacLean and each week, I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now pass me that bottle please and let’s get started! Welcome to Episode 135.
Are you curious what it would be like to have lavish dinners and wine tastings with rock stars like Jon Bon Jovi and Fergie? How does music impact your perception of wine? You’re going to get those insider tips plus a lot more in this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast when we chat with New York Wine and Spirits journalist Céline Bossart. In the show notes you’ll find a full transcript of our conversation, how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class, where you can find me on Zoom, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live video every Wednesday at 7pm including this evening and next week. That’s all in the show notes at Nataliemaclean.com/135.
Now on a personal note, before we dive into the show, I have sensitive teeth. It is an occupational hazard. Acidic drinks like wine gradually wear away at our enamel that protects the nerves inside our teeth. That’s gradual when you’re drinking wine like a normal person. But I’m a wine writer, so I’m not normal in many ways, especially in that I taste at least 30 wines a day. That means swirling a few ounces of each wine in my mouth for a few seconds, before spitting them out. My teeth ache just thinking about this. Mostly special toothpaste like Sensodyne Repair and Protect have helped me and No, I’m not on commission for them, as well as lighter but more effective brushing with the oral B Braun electric toothbrush, no commission from them either sadly. I’m just sharing this info with you in case you also have sensitive teeth, as someone who loves to drink wine. Okay, on with the show.
Natalie MacLean 3:30
All right, so let me introduce Céline. She is a New York based writer, editor, photographer, digital media specialist in the worlds of wine and spirits. And she’s particularly interested in the socio-political aspects which I find fascinating and we’re going to dig into that a little bit as well. She has been published in Eater, Wine Enthusiast, Billboard, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country and many more publications. And in her spare time, as if she would have any, Céline likes drinking wine and binge watching True Crime shows. Let me get that straight. Welcome Céline. We’re so glad to have you here with us.
Céline Bossart 4:12
Thanks for having me. This is so exciting.
Natalie MacLean 4:15
Okay, great. Now you have some marvellous stories and marvellous experiences. Let’s start off with some of those. Tell us about the time that you had a wine dinner with, let me say it slowly, Jon Bon Jovi, please.
Céline Bossart 4:28
There you go. So, yeah, that was a couple of years ago, and I was on a wine trip to the Languedoc region in France, and we were at the Gérard Bertrand winery. Well, he has several wineries. He has huge properties, but this was one of his central wineries and
Natalie MacLean 4:48
So does he own it? Does, I’m just going to call him Jon. Does Jon own the winery?
Céline Bossart 4:54
Gérard Bertrand owns it, it is his winery. So it was a small group of journalists from the US and I mean, it was dreamy, like we were truffle hunting and on the grounds with dogs and
Natalie MacLean 5:05
How did you do that? Like, did you go through the forest? Or how do they do a truffle hunt?
Céline Bossart 5:08
So they had truffle hunting dogs who actually ended up eating the truffles, so not ideal, but um, first they showed us how to prune in the vineyards. And so we were, you know, kind of pruning the vines and when I say pruning, we were like cutting two to three things. Like it’s so much more intense than that, but yeah, so then like in the woody areas around the vineyards, we went out with the dogs and hunted truffles and yeah, again by hunted, I mean the dogs ate the truffles, but that was really fun.
And then one evening, we were having this special dinner, we knew that Gérard was going to be announcing a new wine. And he said he had a special guest. You know, nobody had any idea who it was. But I jokingly was like it’s a Jon Bon Jovi.
Natalie MacLean 5:45
Really?
Céline Bossart 5:46
Yeah, I don’t even know where that came from. And then, lo and behold, a helicopter lands sometime before the dinner and Jon Bon Jovi and his son step out. So I was like, okay, that’s freaky. It was just a random name that came to me. Yeah, so it was a big dinner and one of the main buildings, beautiful sort of gathering room and there were a ton of different tables and somehow I was lucky enough to sit at Jon Bon Jovi’s table and he was there with his wife, and I can’t remember if his son was at my table, I would assume so. But I don’t really remember. So he was just super nice, super nice guy from New Jersey. He’s just like, super kind, super humble. And he shook my hand and we chatted a little bit about wine.
Natalie MacLean 6:36
And is he knowledgeable about wine?
Céline Bossart 6:39
We didn’t get into too much of like a nerdy conversation about wine. I didn’t want to be like, you know, super technical at this chill kind of dinner. But I’m sure I asked him stuff like, oh, what do you know about, besides Rosé, because it ended up being a Rosé that they launched, which is called Diving into Hampton Water, but I’m pretty sure it’s just Hampton Water now, or at least that’s what everyone calls it.
Natalie MacLean 7:00
And that’s funny because Hampton Water or Gator juice or whatever they call it, Rosé, is super popular. But did he talk about at all why he chose Rosé? I mean, is it his favourite wine or something?
Céline Bossart 7:12
I’m sure he did. But again, this is a couple of years ago. And like, obviously, in France, like this is the southwest of France. But in the south of France in general, like Rosé is a big thing. And I think Rosé is something that everybody can kind of relate to in both the French market and the US market. So I think it was a smart choice for them to do Rosé. I don’t know that would have been as good of an idea had they chosen to go with something a little bit more like, you know, I don’t want to say obscure, but obscure to the market in the United States, like a Languedoc varietal or something like that. So yeah, I think Rosé is just relatable. And to my knowledge I think it’s been doing well.
Natalie MacLean 7:49
Yeah, I think it has been; it does well here in Canada as well. So yeah, it’s an easy wine; approachable and understandable. But yeah,
Céline Bossart 7:56
Yeah. And it’s got a pretty label too
Natalie MacLean 7:58
It does, with the diver going into the water, but I always got a kick out of that was the Hamptons water, because they’re all drinking it out there in the lush Hamptons. And was he with? He said he was with his wife. Is that Valerie Bertolini or whatever the actress? I might be getting all my celebs mixed up.
Céline Bossart 8:16
I don’t think so. I don’t recall her first name, but I don’t think so. I think you’re referring to Valerie Bertinelli.
Natalie MacLean 8:23
Yes, that’s what I was thinking of
Céline Bossart 8:24
It was not her unless I just totally didn’t pick up on that. But I don’t think it was her.
Natalie MacLean 8:31
Okay, just wondering. I get sidetracked by celebrity gossip. Anyway, back to wine. So was it a multicourse meal paired with different wines?
Céline Bossart 8:39
Yeah, so my family is, actually I’m half French, my family is from the north of France. So pretty much anytime you go to like any relatively, I don’t want to say fancy, like not even a fancy super fancy meal, but there are always going to be courses and particularly for this event, because it was like a big to do. There was you know, printed menu and the food was delicious. And I mean, I could not even begin to remember what we had. But I know that it was good.
Natalie MacLean 9:07
The wine was even better, I’m sure.
Céline Bossart 9:09
Oh, yeah, lots of great wines.
Natalie MacLean 9:11
And did you end up writing about that particular experience somewhere?
Céline Bossart 9:14
I did. I believe I wrote a travel guide to the region for Du Jour magazine, which is available digitally and then actually I have lots of travel content on there. A lot of it is obviously wine and spirits adjacent. So if you like to travel for wine and spirits, I’ve got some guides for you.
Natalie MacLean 9:32
We’re all wanting to do that when we can again.
Céline Bossart 9:36
Yeah, right exactly when we can. And then I also interviewed his son, I want to say it was for Vine Pair, about the wine. Yeah.
Natalie MacLean 9:42
Oh, okay. So the son is involved with the wine collaboration.
Céline Bossart 9:46
Yes, it is a project between the two, Jon Bon Jovi and his son
Natalie MacLean 9:49
And what involvement does his son have with the wine?
Céline Bossart 9:53
So again, the interview was also a while ago. I should probably reread my work once in a while. But if I recall correctly, you know, when you have celebrity wines, except in Fergies’ case which I’ll get into later, it’s typically like a collaboration between X celebrity and Y winemaker. So the winemaker is obviously the expert when it comes to the wines. Again, this is most situations, as far as I know, they’ll put forth some options and the celebrity, if they’re involved in the process at all, which normally they are, they will taste this, that, the other thing and say I like this, I don’t like this. And then you know, whether it’s single varietals or blends, and I’m pretty sure that was the case with GB and Jon Bon Jovi. I also actually went to the Cognac region with D’Ussé, and they didn’t really want to talk about Jay Z’s involvement, but I do remember them touching on process and that Jay Z was pretty hands on in choosing the blend though.
Natalie MacLean 11:00
And what’s your take on celebrity wines and spirits? I know they differ, but based on what you’ve tried, or do you think it’s a good idea, a good concept, marketing wise for celebrities to have these endorsed wines and spirits?
Céline Bossart 11:16
So I think it can be a good idea. I think it was done very well in Gérard Bertrand and Jon Bon Jovi’s case. It’s a good, easy, sippable wine, it’s attractive looking, the product is attractive looking and it’s not fussy or over complicated. Again, it’s that approachable kind of sweet spot in the US market. I’m not sure if it’s sold in France, I would assume so but I’m not 100% sure. But when you sort of venture into white celebrities, and inherently cultural spirits, like Agave spirits, then things start to get a little sticky, because, you know, I’m sure you saw Kendall’s 818 Tequila launch, or her Instagram post or maybe heard something about it.
Natalie MacLean 12:02
I heard about it, but remind us and for those who haven’t heard about it, there’s a bit of a blow up, but tell us about it.
Céline Bossart 12:09
Yeah, so Kendall is one of the Jenner sisters; Kardashian family. She put up an Instagram post a couple of months ago that was like, it was sort of vague, but it was like a product announcement. But it didn’t get very deep into the product; it was kind of just like, a weird video of her and her friends cheering, and like she sips the tequila and is like, oh, that one’s strong and she like sips the next one and is like, that one’s strong. I think the other one’s stronger and then she like holds up the less strong one or something like that, and is like, this is the one and everyone starts cheering. And it’s like, first of all, this is like still the pandemic’s heyday. So where are you all, unmasked? Second of all, like, if you’ve been spending, because in the caption, she was like, I’ve spent X amount of years, like four years or something, working on this project, if you’ve spent that long working on this project, don’t you think you would have maybe some more descriptors outside of strong and less strong? Yeah, so it just kind of goes to show like, we often see celebrities, like sort of commodifying these artisinal products like tequila, which again, is inextricably tied to Mexico. And so when you have a very wealthy white celebrity, who is sort of just like, kind of flippant about the product, and doesn’t put the actual artisans at the forefront, the people who are actually creating this product and have been doing so for hundreds of years, I mean, it feels wrong, it feels wrong. And so I wrote an article about that, which it was kind of like a so once in a while, I’ll write something kind of, like, slightly unhinged per guest of a guest. It wasn’t satirical. But it was more like, Hey, this is stupid and here’s why. But it wasn’t just hating on Kendall Jenner. It was like, Hey, this is what’s wrong with white American celebrities co-opting culturally type spirits.
Natalie MacLean 14:10
Yeah, that’s a good point. No wonder I can see what you’re interested in with the socio-political angle. Do you think that these white celebrities shouldn’t be endorsing these spirits? Or is there a different way to do it that puts the artisans at the forefront? Or does that mix the marketing message? I mean, how do you think that should be handled?
Céline Bossart 14:29
I think there are a couple of ways to do it. And like I am not the authority on Agave spirits. I am not from Mexico. I don’t represent Mexico in any way. So I have to kind of be very mindful of that, and not take an authoritative stance on it. But from the reporting that I’ve done on cultural co-opting in spirits, I think, again, putting the people who are actually responsible for the product at the forefront is important. And I also think like I’ve seen some celebrities kind of take a backseat and I love to bring up Mario Lopez has an awesome example of a celebrity backed Agave spirit. He is of Mexican descent; he’s Mexican American and he partnered with, I want to say, a Mexican American boxer. And they are behind Casa Mexico tequila. And they really sort of take a backseat and let the product speak for itself.
Natalie MacLean 15:24
And tell us who Mario is, in case people don’t know.
Céline Bossart 15:27
So Mario Lopez is a media personality. He has like the most majestic skin; like every time I look at him, I’m like, how do you do it? Um, but yeah, he’s been like, a media personality that we’ve all kind of grown up with in my generation, and I forget where he got his start, but you can find him on like E and things like that. I’m pretty sure.
Natalie MacLean 15:45
Okay, kind of like a Paris Hilton. But
Céline Bossart 15:50
No, he’s more like a host. Okay, he’s more of a presenter.
Natalie MacLean 15:54
Oh, I see. Okay. Okay. Not just famous for being famous. Yeah. All right. Okay.
Céline Bossart 15:58
He’s not like bopping around, socialite, kind of guy. He’s a really great TV presenter, and host.
Natalie MacLean 16:05
Okay, so he did it in a way that was more authentic, in terms of putting the artisans first.
Céline Bossart 16:12
Yeah. And I think again, like that just speaks to why it’s important that we have people who are representing products that they can relate to, versus like the Kendall Jenners of the world being like, “Oh, I love tequila. And this could make me a lot of money. And so I’m just going to do this”
Natalie MacLean 16:32
Wow. All right. And let’s move on to another celebrity here because we all love these stories. Tell us about Fergie the time you met her.
Natalie MacLean 16:32
Wow. All right. And moving on to another celebrity here, because we all love these stories. Tell us about Fergie the time you met her.
Céline Bossart 16:40
This was probably one of my favourite interviews of all time. I was in the Bahamas and I think she was there to perform for a hotel reopening; so I think they had redone the hotel and she was performing as part of like this grand reopening. And so I had requested to interview her because I’m like, throw out the request, why not? You never know. And it was granted. And so I was like, Oh my god, I love Fergie, like I’ve grown up on, you know, like the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie’s music and so I was just beside myself. So finally it gets to like I’m in the Bahamas, it gets to, you know, my interview slot and there are a few other entertainment journalists. And I’m obviously more concentrated on wine and spirits, but I was covering for Billboard, because they had been interested in doing some wine and spirits celebrity coverage, wine and spirits related celebrity coverage. So that was really fun. That was really fun to work on. And so finally, it’s my slot, I think only have five minutes. And I remember I was wearing my favourite T shirt, which is like this old ratty like band T shirt sort of thing with like, crackled white screen printing. And I think one of the first things she said was like, Oh, my God, I love your shirt. Where can I get that? And then so right off the bat, like she was so warm and welcoming. And so, you know, I opened with like, just some basic questions. And then we got into her, because I knew her family had a winery in, I believe it’s I want to say, Santa Ynez in California. I might have to fact check that. I’m pretty sure. So her family has had this winery, like it’s her dad’s winery, and he’s just a passionate winemaker, this isn’t something that for he was like, I like wine and I’m just going to invest in this winery, and then, you know, promote it. It’s a family business. And the way she talked about it was so sweet. Like, you know, you could tell that the relationship with her dad was really meaningful and the wine that, you know, he made, and she was involved, I think she was working on some of the marketing or promotion or something like that. And you could just tell that it was really special. And I thought it was so sweet. Especially because I was really close with my dad. And, you know, he and I shared a love of wine; he passed away last year. But yeah, so it was like it like warmed my heart a lot.
Natalie MacLean 19:11
It sounds great. And yeah, I do remember the name of the winery?
Céline Bossart 19:15
God, I think it’s Ferguson, wines, something like that. The family name is Ferguson. So
Natalie MacLean 19:21
So, yeah, we can include it in the show notes (Ferguson Crest).
Céline Bossart 19:22
Yeah. Ferguson something.
Natalie MacLean 19:26
So she talked about movingly about her dad and the winery. Did she have any? I mean, five minutes is not a long time. But did she have any memories of being a youngster? I assume she grew up on the winery.
Céline Bossart 19:37
I think that it was more it’s more of a recent project if I’m not mistaken. I don’t think it’s something that she grew up with. But I do remember there wasn’t much in the way of like childhood anecdotes, but this has nothing to do with wine, but this was kind of cool. Her agent, I think was like, he was kind of aggressive with me I think, because I was one of the last interviewers and she at one point, because he was trying to, you know, rush me along, and I had barely gotten into my questions, and she was like, “Hey, man, like, it’s okay. Just let her do her thing. Just, you know, give her some space”. And I just was like, “Oh my God, you know, kind of like girlcode, like she has my back.” And even though she doesn’t know me, she does know who I am, and she could easily be like a diva, but she wasn’t, she was so down to earth. And she kind of stuck up for me to her agent. And I was just so,you know, I was really touched by that. It’s not, it’s not, you know, a huge deal. But in the moment, it was just like, Oh, my God Fergie just stuck up for me; she doesn’t have to
Natalie MacLean 20:36
Probably also didn’t have time for this. But did any of these folks talk about the connection between music and wine? Or do you have an opinion about how music affects wine or taste of it, if at all?
Céline Bossart 20:51
So I don’t know how much of an opinion I have on like, a tangible relationship between wine and music, but I it does make me think of I believe this is Metallicas’ whiskey. I believe it was the distiller, he said that they blast Metallica music, like around the barrels, while the whiskies ageing. And supposedly there’s some scientific findings that show that it does have an effect on the taste of the whiskey, or music does have an effect on a spirit when introduced in that way. But I don’t know how much of that is marketing. It’s cool. But I don’t know how much of that is marketing. Yeah, I mean, other than like, listening to great music and sipping wine, like I think that in itself is kind of, you know, who doesn’t love that?
Natalie MacLean 21:40
Absolutely. And I think there’s, there are some emerging study, they’ve been testing, tasting different wines and playing different genres of music, Baroque, and rock and so on. And people were detecting differences, at least in the way they perceive the wine, of course, but yeah, I’m always fascinated when there’s an intersection between two worlds. So you’ve got another story, got lots, tell us about bicycling through Healdsburg vineyards in five inch platform shoes.
Céline Bossart 22:09
Yeah. So I actually went to school for international fashion marketing. And, you know, I went to a really intense school in New York, called the Fashion Institute of Technology or FIT. And so obviously very different from what I’m doing now. But I realised like I didn’t, after working in the fashion industry, I realised it wasn’t for me. But I still like to have fun with my wardrobe. And I’m, I certainly have an aesthetic as they say. And so I was invited on this trip, this press trip and my new boyfriend at the time, who’s still my boyfriend. He is a photographer, and so I was like, it would be awesome if he could come and take some photos for the piece that I’m working on. So he came with me, and we had just started dating and I was like, Okay, I need to look impeccable. Like, we are curating this outfit, we are buying new shoes, we are like going all out because I need to look good. And so I had some stuff sent to the hotel where we were saying, like, I ordered some stuff and had it sent to the hotel that we were staying at. And when I was packing, I was keeping in mind, okay, I need room for the stuff that I’m going to bring back. So let me pack accordingly. And somehow, I just forgot to pack any kind of casual shoe. And all that I had ordered, that was sent to the hotel was literally three or four pairs of platform shoes because I love platforms. I’m very petite, and he’s tall, and I wear heels all the time. I think it’s like maybe a post fashion school trauma response. I don’t know. But yeah, so one day, we were like, going on a bike trip around a bunch of different vineyards in Healdsburg. And I was like, well, I guess we’re doing this in platform boots. And it was actually easier for me because platforms are way easier to walk in than, say a pump. Because you’re flat, but you’re elevated, and your foot is not necessarily at like a really steep angle, like, you know, with a stiletto; your foot can be very, very steep and then it can be painful. But platforms are just like, they just give you that extra couple of inches and you’re like, rock and roll. So it actually made it easier for me because, again, I’m very petite and like usually if I go on a bike trip, the bikes are just too big for me. So I was able to you know, reach the pedals, no problem. And I didn’t fall at all and we just had a great time, but he never lets me forget that.
Natalie MacLean 24:37
Oh, wow. That’s quite an image, on a bike, platform shoes, in the middle of the vineyards. Were you actually trying to also walk through the vineyards in the platform boots?
Céline Bossart 24:45
Yes, trying and succeeding.
Natalie MacLean 24:47
Okay, all right.
Céline Bossart 24:49
I was good. I was like, “This is extra, but we’re killing it. We’re good.”
Natalie MacLean 24:53
That must have made for some great photos. The contrast the sort of glitzy dress
Céline Bossart 24:58
I have some photos actually, I can sent to you.
Natalie MacLean 25:00
Yeah, that would be great. I’d love to see them. That’s great. And then you had, as you say, a terrifying yet awesome ride on a super yacht in Majorca
Céline Bossart 25:14
I say Majorca, Majorca. Okay, I am not Spanish, so I’m sure I’m not saying like perfectly but yeah, Majorca. So yeah, this was one hell of a trip. It was like, I think we spent two nights there. I flew all the way from New York to Majorca. It’s one of the Balearic Islands, I believe, off the coast of Spain. So that was a very long trip just to be there for two nights.
Natalie MacLean 25:39
But was it an assignment?
Céline Bossart 25:42
Yeah. I believe I covered it for Du Jour also. So one of the days we were meeting; so it was with a winery from New Zealand, which, you know, was interesting, because I don’t know if it was that they wanted to show that you could enjoy the New Zealand Wine Experience in so many different settings, including like all over the world, or if a trip to New Zealand would have been just way too much to handle for like a short trip, flying journalists from the US, that would have just been like, by the time we would have gotten over the jetlag, we would have been going home. So it was interesting. I mean, they tied it in some interesting ways. And they were I think, doing some sort of I don’t know, what the involvement was with this sailing team, but this was like a world class sailing team. And superyachts, like they’re for racing, and there are no sides. It’s rounded sort of. But like, there’s nothing to hold on to really, so you’re just careening through the ocean with no sides. And I’m just like, this is the day I die.
Natalie MacLean 26:55
Where are you sitting on this yacht? Was there an indent or something?
Céline Bossart 27:00
I kid you not, like I was sitting cross legged, like, on the deck. And I was like, I could literally just be flung off of it. I felt like I could just be flung off of this boat at any moment. It was so fun. Like, I am certainly one who’s up for any kind of adventure, but I was a little bit taken aback by the boat itself. And I think I actually have a picture of like me with some of the other journalists or maybe just me, just sitting on the side with my legs dangling off
Natalie MacLean 27:32
The moment before you went.
Céline Bossart 27:34
I mean, everything was good. The crew was super nice. And I was like, okay, that’s a thing that I can say that I’ve done now.
Natalie MacLean 27:43
That’s great, sounds like a fun experience. I mean, fun, but terrifying, as you say. And how were the New Zealanders, the winery, tying that together, were they pairing it with seafood or just here’s a great way to have after you’ve had a terrifying experience.
Céline Bossart 28:00
So we did lunch, we did a really nice seafood lunch before which I don’t know if that was a good idea to have lunch before but it was fine. I mean, I don’t remember anybody getting sick, but we had a lovely lunch on the water. And then everyone was like, Okay, time to go out to the boats. So we had to take a little boat all the way to the yacht, a super yacht, and yeah, just even getting on the boat and off of the boat was kind of an adventure. I remember, like one of the crew members just reaching down and like yanking me up by one arm. And I was like, Okay, here we go.
Natalie Maclean 28:34
Wow, how big are the super yachts?
Céline Bossart 28:37
Massive? I don’t have measurements but massive
Natalie MacLean 28:41
But they’re large, but just sleek, not aerodynamic, but water dynamic or whatever.
Céline Bossart 28:45
Yeah, yeah. Large and in charge.
Natalie MacLean 28:56
Great, well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my chat with Céline Bossart. Here are my top takeaways.
Number one, no matter which celebrity endorses a wine, it’s the winemaker who makes it that matters most. I agree that the person or winery producing the wine should be on the label as well. And in some cases, like the Miraval brand from southern France, the celebs who formally back the wine, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, aren’t even on the label but rather the much respected Perrin brothers are,
Two; I loved listening to Célines’ stories about meeting Jon Bon Jovi and Fergie. It’s nice to know they’re decent people too
Three; I’m fascinated with the impact music has on our perception and taste of wine, and I plan to explore that more in future episodes.
In the show notes, you’ll find a full transcript of our conversation, how you can join me in a free online wine and food pairing class, links to both of my books, where you can find me on Zoom, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live video every Wednesday at 7pm and that’s all in the show notes at Nataliemaclean.com/135. You won’t want to miss next week when we continue our conversation with Céline. In the meantime, if you missed Episode 83, go back and take a listen. I chat with Dr. Antonia Mantonakis, about celebrity athlete wines, which ones score on price and taste. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite.
Dr. Antonia Mantonakis 30:36
When you think about wine, what are some words that you can think of. And when you look at consumers responses, you can see that there’s a little bit of an overlap when you think of certain sports like golf, you know, it’s more prestigious or luxurious or a leisure activity, maybe, you know, tends to be enjoyed by certain types of people and so on. And these were the responses that we got about wine, whereas a sport like soccer or hockey or wrestling, you know, we tested a whole bunch of different categories of sport and the degree of overlap or the degree of match was not really as strong. And so that led us to categorise different sports as being a high, medium or low match to the product category of wine in order to do our study.
Natalie MacLean 31:36
If you liked this episode, please tell one friend about it this week, especially someone you know who be interested in the tips that Céline shared. Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week; perhaps a Rosé that you love; whether it’s endorsed by a celebrity or not.
Natalie MacLean 32:03
You don’t want to miss one juicy episode of this podcast, especially the secret full body bonus episodes that I don’t announce on social media. So subscribe for free now at nataliemaclean.com/subscribe. Meet me here next week. Cheers.
