These days you aren’t a real celebrity unless you have a wine with your name emblazoned on the label. Actors, sports stars and rock musicians vie to sell their wines in what is now a very crowded market.
I counted over 30 celeb wines on the internet; Graham Norton has his (very good) range, so too does Sarah Jessica Parker, Dan Akroyd, Drew Barrymore, and most famously, Brad and Angelina. Some, like John Malkovich, Sam Neil, Francis Coppola and Gérard Depardieu actually own vineyards; others simply slap their name on a wine produced by others.
The music scene is not short of celebrity wines either. Fergie Ferguson, Mick Hucknall, Sting and Trudi Styler all have a vineyard and winery. Madonna apparently produces one with her dad in Michigan. Hip-hop star Jay-Z is a partner in the highly successful Champagne producer Armand de Brignac. Country fans would be more interested in the wines of Zac Brown, while classic music fans might prefer Andrea Bocelli, and R&B afficionados would go for Boz Scaggs.
The latest entrant to the celebrity market is Kylie Minogue. In May she released a rosé, followed this week by a red merlot, and a sauvignon blanc, all under the Kylie Minogue Signature brand. A little surprisingly, they come from the south of France rather than Australia.
The sauvignon blanc, from the Côtes de Gascogne in southwest France is light (11.5 per cent) with rounded ripe peach and tropical fruits.
The merlot, from the Pays d’Oc in the Languedoc, has ample rich smooth ripe dark fruits and a tannin-free finish.
The Kylie Minogue wines are available from worldwinewines.ieand Carry Out Off-licences for €12.99.
