In our celebrity-obsessed culture, stars can be keen to augment their income by lending their name to all sorts of products. In recent years many have slapped their moniker on a bottle of wine. Graham Norton, Kylie Minogue and Sarah Jessica Parker are probably the best known here, but there are plenty of others. Some, like Sting and Gérard Depardieu, actually own vineyards; others involve themselves in the blending process, but most simply lend their name to a wine produced by the winery.
The Signature Chef brand was created by Wine & Brands, a marketing company. It worked with three Michelin-starred French chefs to create a series of wines from the south of France. Now, here in Ireland, the chef Kevin Dundon has put his name on two wines from the Languedoc region.
Dundon travelled over to the south of France to taste and help select the wines. He also tried them out with various dishes and gives a recipe to enjoy alongside each wine on the neck tag and QR code. At €19.95 neither is cheap, but they are a cut above most Languedoc wines.
Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Kevin Dundon Signature Chef, IGP Pays d'Oc, €19.95
Lightly aromatic with subtle succulent ripe pears, good refreshing acidity and a clean finish. I can see it working well with Dundon's suggestion of grilled prawns with a bisque sauce.
Corbières 2019, Kevin Dundon Signature Chef, €19.95
Medium- to full-bodied with savoury dark fruits, some notes of chocolate and some drying tannins kicking in on the finish. Dundon recommends matching this with a roasted Irish lamb leg, which sounds perfect to me.
