Celebrity wines for Christmas

CELEBRITY VINEYARDS

With Christmas looming large my thoughts turn to the problem of present buying; wine of course, and in this case, a look at some celebrity vineyards. A vineyard may be the perfect present for the person who has everything, but without busting the budget treat your loved one to a bottle or two from a vineyard owned by their favourite star, or at least named after them. 

The trend of celebrities owning vineyards is not a recent phenomenon. In ancient times, leading philosophers, playwrights and politicians often owned vineyards for personal use. Nowadays, there are many reasons why celebrities gravitate towards owning their own; some do it just because they can, and others because of the tax benefits. It does save nipping down to the supermarket every time Gary Barlow pops round for a drink. Some, such as film director Francis Ford Coppola, come from families with a history of winemaking, whilst others, such as our own Cliff Richard, have been lifelong wine enthusiasts. Johnny Depp and David Beckham own vineyards solely for personal use, but others use their celebrity status as a selling tool in the wine industry. It can be a very lucrative business. There are different degrees of involvement, and nearly all of them collaborate with an established winemaker. 

Some celebrities lend their names to a special "one off" wine production, as in the case of Pol Roger’s famous Cuvée Winston Churchill.  Rothschild has for some time employed famous artists, including Prince Charles, to design labels for their wines. 

Francis Ford Coppola - Inglenook, Rubicon, Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, USA. Bought using profits from The Godfather films, this is serious winemaking at its best. Not cheap, the exceptional Classic Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely for keeping. My top choice.

Gerard Depardieu – Chateau de Tigne, Anjou, France (and others). He is very active and hands on, owning several wineries, even listing ‘vigneron’ as his occupation on his passport. The rosé is notable and would be no. 2 on my wish list.

Antonio Banderas – Anta Banderas, Ribera del Duero, Spain. Try the ‘a10’, Tempranillo with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Cliff Richard - Adega do Cantor, Algarve, Portugal. His wines sell well but are not for connoisseurs. 

Sting - Tenuta il Palagio, Tuscany, Italy. Each release is named after one of his songs; his ‘Sister Moon’ red blend gets good reviews. 

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt – Chateau Miraval, Brignoles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Recently available for public sale, the wine sold out within days. An award-winning rose, Pink Floyd (the group recorded part of their album, The Wall, here) is also produced.

Lionel Messi – Bodega Valentin Bianchi, Argentina. All profits from his wine ‘Leo’, go to his charitable foundation. Two reds made from Malbec, and a white called Torrontés are produced.   

Nick Faldo - Katnook Estate, Coonawarra, Australia. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc available. 

David Ginola -  Coste Brulade, Provence, France. Silver medal award winning rosé produced.  

Ian Botham and Bob Willis – McLaren Vale, South Australia. The BMW wine range was created in conjunction with Australian winemaker Geoff Merrill, producing a chardonnay, a cabernet and a shiraz.

Graham Norton  - Invivo, the NZ company that supplies his chat show wines, is putting out a special Sauvignon Blanc under his name. 

These wines are all available to buy online in the UK, and most are available for around £10, up to a whopping £100+ a bottle.