Falstaff Magazin International 00/2021

wine / CELEBRITY WINES K

wine / CELEBRITY WINES K ylie Minogue, Mary J. Blige, Gordon Ramsay, Idris Elba, Sting and John Malkovich are just a few of the celebrities who have entered the wine business. Such wines – either made or endorsed by celebrities – have become almost ubiquitous. Some see this as a cynical move: why drink these wines? Why pay for a famous name on the label? Why play their game? That is why Falstaff put them to the test. Our conclusion? Some celebrity wines are downright stunning: some are really well-made and delicious – neither are they more expensive than other wines of their class. Our tasting of almost 90 wines showed clear front-runners: two red wines, one from Tuscany, one from California, and a stunning Champagne, selected by British actor Idris Elba. The California red was Inglenook Rubicon 2011, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend from Rutherford in Napa Valley, made at the winery of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola – the man behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. The Tuscan wine was O.T. Toscana Rosso 2015 from the winery of star photographer Oliviero Toscani who achieved notoriety with his provocative shots for the Italian fashion label Benetton from the 1980s onwards. As it turns out, both Coppola and Toscani are old hands. Their involvement in wine goes back to the 1970s – just as they were making their names in filmmaking and photography. OUR CONCLUSION? SOME CELEBRITY WINES ARE DOWN- RIGHT STUNNING: SOME ARE WELL-MADE AND DELICIOUS. American actor John Malkovich likes to keep a lower profile when promoting the wines grown at his Provence estate. Photos: provided- 72 falstaff summer 2021

TOP WINES FROM TOP STARS The Falstaff tasting team was also impressed by much less well-established wine projects: Idris Elba‘s Blanc de Blancs Champagne, for instance, has as much substance and effortless style as the actor himself. He partnered with Champagne Sanger in Avize for this project. Likewise, the wine range presented by British chef Gordon Ramsay, launched just a few weeks ago, convinced the team. Ramsay, known equally well for unvarnished criticism and infallible taste, remains true to form – and the team did not have to resort to swear words when describing the wines. Made by Seabold Cellars in Monterey, California, Ramsay’s wines are currently sold in the United States only, but further distribution can only be a question of time. His < IDRIS ELBA‘S CHAM- PAGNE HAS AS MUCH SUBSTANCE AND EFFORTLESS STYLE AS THE ACTOR HIMSELF. Neat rows of vines in the rolling countryside of Tuscany. Sting and his wife Trudie Styler not only produce wine but also honey and olive oil at their Tuscan farm. summer 2021 falstaff 73