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Add some starpower to your summer with these famously owned beverages
Like celebrity-owned spirits, the celebrity-owned wines category is also booming at the moment. With more and more A-listers investing in or launching their own alcohol brands, there are now so many options on the market that it’s hard to keep track.
As you may have guessed, many (if not the vast majority) are absolutely terrible: tacky, self-serving marketing stunts. But others are actually quite extraordinary. One of the biggest success stories is the Miraval estate in Provence, bought by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2008. Within hours of release the first few thousand bottles of the estate’s Miraval rosé sold out, inspiring other celebrities to invest in the wine trade.
Now, stars from just about every imaginable claim to fame are getting involved. For many, the move just makes sense. Celebrities such as Francis Ford Coppola have a long history of winemaking, while others are long-time enthusiasts. For others, it’s the new challenge of a fresh enterprise that appeals, joined with the fact that alcohol is a lucrative business.
If you have a high profile and enough revenue, it’s easy enough to sway wineries and partner with distributors, saving thousands on advertising campaigns, as it’s much easier to generate sales when you’re already experienced in exerting influence. Why bother hiring brand ambassadors to be the “face” of your business when you’re already more famous. Plus, when it comes to products endorsed by their favourite celebrities, many consumers are also happy to pay premium prices.
While some celebrity-owned wines are gimmicky, others are genuinely brilliant, passion projects from actors, musicians, models, athletes and TV personalities, all taking time to produce innovative wines.
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The following list of celebrity-owned wines was tested using a blind-tasting method to avoid bias. All of the whites, reds, rosés and sparkling wines were split into their categories and tasted alongside each other from identical glasses. The best wines from each round were then tasted together and judged, with the best buy option chosen based on its quality, representation of its respective style and value for money. These are the tipples to try.
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
Della Vite is the first joint venture between sisters Chloe, Poppy and Cara Delevingne. A high quality prosecco that’s also vegan certified and sustainably produced, the brand was launched after the Delevingne sisters noticed their favourite proseccos tasted in Italy didn’t seem to leave the country, so they decided to produce their own.
Made in collaboration with a third-generation wine making family, the brand produces three expressions: a treviso DOC, superiore DOCG and – its latest – prosecco DOC rosé millesimato. Only approved in 2020, rosé is a fairly new prosecco style. The Della Vite version is well balanced with wild berry and tart rhubarb, plus a creamy texture and long, fresh finish.
Best: Champagne
Rating: 9/10
Founded by Idris Elba and Connaught Cellars owned David Farber, Porte Noire Wines has a portfolio of three wines: the 2010 grand cru blanc de blancs, petite porte grand cru and a provence rosé. The former of which is produced using a single grape variety, single plot and single vintage, which is important for the wine’s minerality.
Although fairly expensive, the wine lives up to its price tag with classic blanc de blancs notes of apple, pear and bread, plus zippy lemon and some creamy, buttery notes with a complex, well-rounded flavour profile and elegant finish. An exquisite, exceptionally well-balanced champagne.
Best: Investment
Rating: 9/10
A collaboration between Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Méo and American music producer Jay Boberg, Nicolas-Jay wines celebrate the pair’s shared appreciation of Oregon wines.
Established in 2013, Nicolas-Jay has since become known as the Willamette Valley’s finest producers. Today’s range includes several single-vineyard wines, a small amount of chardonnay, and a rich collection of pinot noir bottlings – most notably l’ensemble, aged in 30-35 per cent new French oak and comprised of the most expressive barrels.
An elegant wine from what’s one of the first cool Oregon vintages seen at the domaine, the 2019 l’ensemble pinot noir has prominent fruit notes of strawberry, currants, cranberry and blueberries, joined by baking spices and gentle vanilla and silky tannins. A remarkable new world pinot noir with great acidity, a complex flavour profile and plenty of ageing potential.
Best: Rosé wine
Rating: 9/10
Chateau Miraval has received plenty of attention recently, with Angelina Jolie having sold her stake to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group. The winery is still partially owned by ex-husband Brad Pitt, however, in partnership with the Perrin family. Bought by the couple in 2012, Chateau Miraval has been hugely successful, with a Provence rosé available alongside a more recently launched rosé champagne.
Cinsault, grenache, syrah and rolle were used in the Chateau Miraval 2020 vintage, with vibrant fruity notes of raspberry, nectarine, plum and strawberry alongside floral suggestions of cherry blossom and jasmine, complete with a clean, fruity finish. Not only is this a striking Provence rosé, the wine also boasts excellent value for its quality, especially when compared with its local competitors.
Best: Sub £10 wine
Rating: 8/10
After supplying wines for Graham Norton’s TV show back in 2011, the renowned presenter quickly became a fan of Invivo Wines. Norton was so impressed by the wines, in fact, that he launched his own sauvignon blanc in partnership with Invivo in 2014, followed by a wide selection of award-winning wines including a South Australian shiraz, Italian prosecco, rosé prosecco, South African sauvignon blanc and New Zealand rosé. Two Irish dry “GiNs” have also joined the strong portfolio.
Now a part owner of the winery, Graham Norton also controls every aspect of the blending process for his wines. Produced from a blend of merlot, malbec and chardonnay from vineyards across New Zealand’s premium grape-growing regions, Graham Norton’s own rosé marlborough is a gorgeous sub £10 rosé, significantly better than its modest price point suggests. Intense yet supremely quaffable, the wine is dominated by strawberries-and-cream notes alongside some tart raspberry, melon and zingy lime zest. A fresh, well-balanced wine with profound fruitiness.
Best: Newcomer
Rating: 8/10
Since launching her own wine brand in 2020, Kylie Minogue has garnered rapturous success, with nine wines now included in the portfolio. Sourced from various countries, the wines include a signature rosé – which has become the top-selling wine in its category in the UK – and a prosecco rosé with annual sales reportedly worth more than £7m.
A relatively new addition to the collection, the vintage rosé is produced in France’s oldest wine region. The 2020 bottling utilises grenache, cinsault and rolle grapes, with expressive fruity notes of grapefruit and watermelon, plus a dry, textured palate and long, silky mineral finish. An unsurprisingly popular wine, ownership aside.
Best: Bottle
Rating: 7/10
Named after his favourite tarot card (the nine of swords), Maison No. 9 was launched by rapper Post Malone, who had acquired a taste for rosé but struggled to find a standout blend. As such, Post Malone and co-founders Dre London and James Morrissey set out to create a high-quality rosé, encompassing multiple trips to France, tasting over 100 blends until the current composite was settled on.
A blend of grenache, cinsault, syrah and merlot harvested overnight, the Maison No.9 rosé is produced by MDCV Domaine des Bertrands, with the 2019 Mediterranee IGP first released in June 2020. Contained within a bottle with an extra-flint glass construction and elongated neck, the wine is fruit-forward with prominent flavours of pineapple, pear, strawberry, raspberry and some melon alongside feint vanilla and a suggestion of hibiscus. Although fruit-driven, the taste is surprisingly light and elegant, with a long, dry finish.
Best: Bag-in-box wine
Rating: 7/10
On a mission to prove that boxed wine needn’t be inelegant, when in Rome showcases Italian wines packaged in cardboard boxes. Compared with bag-in-box wines, single use glass bottles generate about 10 times the amount of carbon, and that’s without taking international transport into account. As such, when in Rome’s wines aren’t just exceedingly drinkable, they’re also far more sustainable. The company has also partnered with Phillip Schofield for three Italian bag-in-box wines, which bear his name and were especially selected by the TV personality.
A Puglian nero di troia and Veronese rostao are joined by the Benevento IGT falanghina, using white falanghina grapes grown on the hills of Campania. The lesser-known grape is generally considered a full-flavoured alternative to pinot grigio, with floral notes of acacia and orange joining apple, quince and bright lime, complete with a crisp, minerally finish. In addition to boasting good value, each 2.25l box contains the equivalent of three bottles of wine, which will stay fresh for up to six weeks once opened.
Best: Red table wine
Rating: 7/10
In partnership with Virgin Wines, former cricketer Phil Tufnell (also known as Tuffers) has launched a range of six Tuffers’ Tipple wines. With a long history between cricketers and wine, with many players having launched their own ranges, Phil Tufnell’s wine is inspired by holidays to the south of France and cricket tours of Australia.
Currently made up of three whites and three reds from various countries, the Tuffers’ Tipple collection features two sauvignon blancs and one English bacchus, plus reds including an Australian shiraz, Spanish tempranillo, and – most interesting of all – a French “GSm” comprising a blend of grenache, shiraz and mouvedre. The same blend used to produce Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the Tuffers’ Tipple GSM has black pepper and cinnamon spiciness alongside blackcurrant and plum fruitiness, plus a violet note which develops on the palate.
Best: White table wine
Rating: 6/10
It’s perhaps surprising that Gordon Ramsay has looked to Italy for the production of his vibrante bianco wine. In partnership with renowned Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini, the chef has worked on a selection of table wines from some of the country’s best growing regions.
For the range’s white wine, a blend of grapes have been sourced from the coastal region of Abruzzo, while Tuscan vermentino are added to bring minerality and freshness. The resulting wine is pale with notes of apple and peach, juicy and refreshing on the palate with a long mineral finish. It’s not the most exciting wine on the market (especially at its price point), but it’s a fine table wine for serving alongside a range of dishes.
Best: Easy-drinking red wine
Rating: 5/10
In partnership with Benchmark Drinks, Gary Barlow has launched a wine range championing organic producers. Initially launching with an organic red and white wine, the singer has since introduced a rosé wine to the exclusively Spanish portfolio.
An unoaked half-and-half tempranillo and syrah blend from Spain’s Central Casilla region, the organic red wine comprises grapes from 30-40-year-old vines, dry grown for maximum concentration and flavour – machine harvested at night to preserve their fresh characteristics. The resulting wine is juicy with bright fruit at the fore, with delicate acidity, very fine tannins and just a whisper of cocoa to lend some richness to the light-bodied, fruit-forward red that’s eminently sippable if not remarkable.
Of the celebrity-owned wines tested, many were surprising. While the wide variety of different styles makes it difficult to choose just one best buy, the Della Vite prosecco DOC rosé millesimato is a particular standout.
Although more expensive than most prosecco wines available, it challenges everything you’ll likely know (and either love or hate) about the infamous Italian style – a million miles from the cheap, saccharine extra dry options that dominate British supermarket shelves. It’s ideal on its own as a refreshing aperitif but also well-suited to pairing with a wide range of foods; from Venetian-style cicchetti to fruity desserts.
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Want to discover some new tipples? We’ve rounded up the best white wines for 2022.