It seems that there is no way to get away from the growing number of wine and spirit brands owned by – or partnering with – actors, musicians, and sport’s figures. These celebrity bottles get more advertising due to their celebrity status and budget, but does it make the wines and spirits any better than those without the status or budget?
(Photo: me in Beverly Hills with Ian Blackburn of LearnAboutWine.com and a celebrity to me.)
According to Wine Searcher, “The number of celebrity-branded wines has grown steadily in the past few decades, from just a few brands in the 1970s to several hundred today (the celebrity wine industry is now worth more than $50 million in the US alone).” Read more here.
I enjoyed the Miraval Rose sold by the then Pitts and may not have known of the brand at all save for their attachment to it. More recently during a Drammers club meeting we met and tasted whisky made by a brand owned by Beyonce called Sir Davis. We learned all about her work on the project from Blender and Global Head of Advocacy for SirDavis Cameron George – her love of bourbon, the flavor profile she wanted and why she chose the name. That brand I not only enjoyed, but I respected more for after learning how involved she is. I think, for me, that’s where there’s a difference. I couldn’t care less if a movie star sells a wine with his or her name on it, tell me what involvement said star had in the process and I might give it a taste, or at least be more interested.
This was the question (from the lead in this article above) I recently asked on social media. These are some of the answers I found interesting:
Lauren G: Only if it’s their actual vineyard.
Donny T: Still a sucker for The Red Rocker Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo anejo.
Michael F: What is the “celebrity’s” involvement with the wine…?
Adding their name as a marketing brand (ex: Martha Stewart or Snoop Dog) is problematic and is noted to have iffy results.
If it’s truly the celebrity’s vineyard and winery it much more likely to be a project of some worth:
Drew Bledsoe Doubleback Wines
Bruce Cohn
BR Cohn
Francis Ford Coppola
Rubicon
Dave Del Dotto
Del Dotto
Ernie Els
Ernie Els Wines
Terry Hoage
TH Estate
Maynard Keenan
Caduceus Cellars
Randy Lewis
Lewis Wines
Mc Murray Family
Fred McMurray Wines
Sam Neill
Two Paddocks
Robert Parker
Beaux Fries
Michael Seresin
Seresin Wines
Are among various celebrities who I understand are very active in making and selling their wines. And the results seem to support their efforts.
Scott K: Is Charles Shaw considered a celebrity? I’m still a fan of Two Buck Chuck!
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
