Today we’re chatting about wines owned by celebrities. Are the wines any good or is this just a marketing gimmick? Here to give us the inside scoop is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome Natalie.
So let’s start off with why celebrities would want to own a winery?
Owning a sports team or restaurant is just so 2021. These days, if you really want to show some class, you need to own a winery. There’s no better photo opp than one with you getting dirty pruning the vines or pressing grapes. Showing you’re not all glam and glitter.
Seriously, many celebrities have a true passion for wine, perhaps because of their family heritage like this full-bodied Cabernet I have here from the director Francis Ford Coppola. He was really the first celebrity winemaker (if you don’t count the miracle at the wedding at Cana). In 1975, he bought the Inglenook winery in Napa Valley with the proceeds from The Godfather, and renamed the property Niebaum-Coppola, after himself and its founder, the sea captain Gustave Niebaum.
Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon
California, United States
In the tasting room, you can see Don Corleone’s desk from The Godfather, the platoon boat from Apocalypse Now, the maroon car from Tucker and the vampire’s cape from Dracula.
A love of wine runs in the family. Tell us about that.
Coppola’s love of wine dates back to his childhood. An Italian-American, he had wine with family meals growing up. Coppola now also makes this Rosé named in honour of his only daughter Sofia and his son Roman bottles a reserve syrah made from grapes on the family property. Both Sofia and Roman are also film directors.
Francis Coppola Sofia Rosé
Monterey County, California, United States
Tell us about the next celebrity wine.
Post Malone, the Hip Hop star, worked with winemakers in Provence to create Maison No. 9, named after Malone’s favorite tarot card (the nine of swords). So in this case, he doesn’t own the winery, but rather has endorsed this particular wine with his name. It’s a lovely, dry blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Merlot grapes with notes of tart strawberries and herbs. I’d pair this wine with a Provençal Bouillabaisse or a sweaty night on the dance floor when you need some refreshment.
Maison No 9. Rosé 2020
Provence IGP, France
You have another celeb Rosé. Who’s this one from?
Sarah Jessica Parker, or SJP, as fans of her TV show and movies Sex and the City, like to call her. It’s right here on the label. She partnered with a winery in southern France to create this Invivo Rosé. That’s her finger painted X on the label, as that’s the way she signs her Instagram posts X SJ. She actually got involved with the blending and other aspects of the wine. Proceeds from the 2020 vintage will go to FEED, an organization that fights childhood hunger and will provide 330,000 school meals over the next 12 months.
Invivo X SJP Rosé 2020
South of France, France
Now some stars don’t put their name on the label. Tell us about one of those.
In 2012, back in happier days, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie launched their own wine from Provence called Miraval Rosé. Post divorce, Brad took custody of Château Miraval, but back then and now, you’ll find no reference to them on the label. This wine doesn’t need to ride on their celebrity. It’s a lovely bone-dry rose with aromas of field strawberries.
Miraval Rosé
Côtes de Provence, Provence A.P., France
There’s another celebrity who doesn’t have their name on the label. Who is that?
The musical artist, P!nk, who took many wine courses, now owns a California winery where she helps make the wine. Her name isn’t on the label of her Two Wolves Wine.
Two Wolves is named in honor of an ancient Cherokee story.
“A fight is raging inside me,” an elderly Cherokee said to his young grandson.
“It’s an awful battle between two wolves. One is evil and filled with anger, greed, envy, self-pity, regret, resentment, arrogance and false pride.
“The other is good and filled with love, joy, peace, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, compassion and generosity. That fight is going on inside you and every other person, too.”
The grandson paused, then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?”
The old man replied, “The one you feed.”
I’ll raise my glass to you, P!nk.
You have one more movie star for us.
Actor Fess Parker was best known in the 1950s for playing frontiersmen such as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. In 1987, he bought a ranch north of Santa Barbara. This is actually the winery featured in the movie Sideways. This is a terrific Viognier blend with delicate floral notes that wouldn’t pair with the wild game Davy Crockett liked, but it sure would be purdy sippin on with a sunset, I’d reckon.
Fess Parker Marcella’s White
Santa Barbara County, California, United States
You have one more singer for us.
Yes, superstar Mary J. Blige partnered with a winery in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region to create “Sun Goddess” wines. There she is at the center of the sun on the label. For her, the Sun Goddess connects to her life, as well as to nature, and the vibrant wines she likes to drink. This is a crisp, refreshing Pinot Grigio, though she also has, of course, a Rosé.
Sun Goddess DOC Friuli Pinot Grigio Ramato Rosé
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli D.O.C, Italy
Published with permission from CHCH.
