Falstaff Magazin International 00/2021

wine / CELEBRITY WINES <

wine / CELEBRITY WINES < numerous restaurants in Britain and the US are a ready route to market. Celebrity wines are clearly more than a nod to fans or a hobby for the stars: they are serious business. Despite their split, the former Hollywood dream couple Angelina Jolie und Brad Pitt still own Château Miraval in Provence, France. When the couple launched their first wine in 2012, the world did not necessarily expect that it would become a benchmark for Rosé de Provence – but that is Miraval’s status today. Much of the wine’s success is down to the expertise of the legendary winemaking family Perrin, owners of the iconic Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône Valley – but it is fair to say that by now Château Miraval wines sell because they are good, not because of the famous names attached to them. The current vintage, 2020, scored 93 points after all. Francis Ford Coppola‘s involvement in wine goes back to the 1970s. Below: his Inglenook Estate. Idris Elba presenting a magnum of his exquisite Blanc de Blancs Champagne to the consultant sommelier of Soho House in London Photos: @alexjpiper VISUALSBYAJP.COM, ©2019 The Family Coppola, provided 74 falstaff summer 2021

COMMERCIAL SUCCESS It is some time now that Kylie Minogue‘s pop hits dominated the airwaves, but the British-Australian singer is now taking off with the wine brand she launched last year. Minogue has sold more than a million bottles to date. The fresh, accessible style of her wines convinced the Falstaff team. The portfolio includes a French rosé and a recently launched rosé Prosecco – with swish packaging. The name Kylie is emblazoned on the labels and the promotional shots would not look out of place in a glossy fashion magazine. Yes, Minogue deliberately wears a pink dress for her pink wines, but it is entirely credible that she enjoys drinking them too. It is the same for American singer Mary J. Blige and her Sun Goddess wines, for which she partnered with a winery in Italy. “I guess the inspiration was just loving white wine,“ Blige says. And while it sounds good as a marketing blurb, what she says about the creation of the name Sun Goddess under which she produces a Pinot Grigio and a Sauvignon Blanc made in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia American singer Mary J. Blige was deeply involved in blending the wines and getting to know the entire winemaking process: because she wanted to make the kind of wines she likes to drink. IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT BY NOW, CHÂTEAU MIRAVAL WINES SELL BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD, NOT BECAUSE OF THE FAME ATTACHED TO THEM. region is a truism for wine: “As a child I always tried to capture the sun’s warmth and energy.“ That is exactly what wine does and Blige has created the style she likes to drink: light, fruity and refreshing. American actor John Malkovich takes a different approach. The wines from his estate in southern France are sold under the name of Les Quelles de la Coste, yet his name appears only in small print on the back label of the bottles. When we enquired why this was the case, we were told that he preferred to keep a low profile: this was about the wines, not about him. He and his wife Nicoletta Peyran are thus working on putting Les Quelles de la Coste on the map and on making a really good Cabernet Sauvignon. THE VERDICT Sadly, there also are more cynical examples of celebrity wines. In Formula One racing, for example, it was fashionable for a while to market wines with the names of famous drivers on the label. The quality of the wines, however, took a back seat. < summer 2021 falstaff 75