Top right to top left, clockwise: John Legend; Jon Bon Jovi (with son, entrepreneur Jesse Bongiovi); Sting (with wife, actress/film producer Trudie Styler); Jay-Z (with wife, superstar singer Beyoncé)
Dear readers, nice to talk to you all again.
Breno is back with some more curiosities about the wine world. After all, our writing work here is not only about investing in fine wine, but give you some good entertainment as well!
This time, we’re talking about acclaimed wines produced by celebrities.
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Thanks to fame and money, many stars in the show business go for high-end personal ventures and hobbies.
Many of them have a passion for wines (like we do!) and decided to run their own wineries – or at least their wine brands.
Acclaimed wines produced by celebrities
Even though so many celebrities have tried, very few have their vintages recognized for their quality.
So that’s why we’re bringing you this list of vintages from wineries run by celebrities that are not only famous, but much appreciated by wine critics!
With a little help from wine critics’ evaluations and lists by VinePair, Vivino, Wine Enthusiast and The Wrap, what’s more interesting is the wines here are prestigious not only for the fame of their associated people – but because of their quality.
I think you’ll enjoy this reading – and I’ll suggest you some extra watching and listening tips as well.
Have you already tried any of these wines? Let us know what you think of them!
Sting
Tenuta Il Palagio 2012 Sister Moon Red (Toscana IGT)
In 1999, former The Police frontman bought a 18th century Tuscan estate with his wife and started farming, eventually producing and selling on the site products such as honey, olive oil… and wines.
As time went by, he eventually found his great vintage (so far) in 2012, with this beautiful red blend of (the very Tuscan) Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine Enthusiast rated it 88 points, saying “the polished palate shows mature red plum, tobacco and vanilla”. To this day, the Vivino community rates this vintage 4.2 out of 5 stars.
I was going to make the joke on whether there was any message in his bottles – but he already produced another wine with that title. My bad.
TO PAIR WITH: Watching one of his intimate concerts in Tuscany like this one.
Alternatively, we have three beautiful age-worthy Tuscan red wines you might enjoy buying – or investing in!
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Château Miraval 2015 Rosé (Côtes de Provence)
The once-upon-a-time power couple Brangelina bought this French chateau in 2008 and were married there in 2014. Wine observers have, for quite some time already, that their winery led by Marc Perrin has been producing exciting Champagne – especially rosés. In spite of their separation and ongoing divorce lawsuit, the winemaking activities are going on strong.
This 2015 cuvée, which is deemed the winery’s flagship, has been rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast as a “very fine wine, perfectly balanced between crisp fruit and acidity”, whilst the Vivino community has so far rated it 4.0 stars out of 5.
Some memories may have soured, but the wines keep coming fine.
TO PAIR WITH: Pitt person? Yes, my mother also loves him. My favorite with him is Inglorious Basterds – in which his character does some pretty Tarantino-esque Nazi hunt in France during World War II. Fan of Angelina? I’d go with Changeling or Gia. In order not be unfair to anyone nor take sides, let’s settle with watching the nicely distracting Mr. and Mrs. Smith, shall we?
Francis Ford Coppola
2014/15/16 Black Label Claret Diamond Collection (California Cabernet-based)
The ‘patriarch’ of the Coppola family may be extremely famous for his filmmaking, but, for many, he’s recognized as a very dedicated winemaker as well. The mighty film director has a much appreciated winery and wine estate in Sonoma County California. His wines have won many accolades – from Rhone blends to Rosé, Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc, he’s always on the spot.
The 2014, 2015 and 2016 vintages of this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend have been respectively rated 90 (twice) and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast, who defines this wine as “big, beefy (…) that smells smoky and black-cherry-like and tastes full, bold and firmly tannic”.
TO PAIR WITH: Well… you’d better get a few bottles of this one, because of course you should sip it watching The Godfather trilogy! Part 1 is my favorite film of all time, even though Al Pacino is phenomenal in Part 2.
Sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.
Andrea Bocelli
2005 Terre di Sandro Sangiovese (Toscana IGT)
The Bocelli wines didn’t start with the wonderful Italian singer: actually, his grandfather Alcide, a farmer, left the Tuscan estate to his son, Alessandro, who then introduced sons Andrea and Alberto to the winemaking family passion. Both eventually became the heads of the winery.
Many Bocelli wines have been well recognized by critics. One of the most celebrated among them is red Terre di Sandro, rated 90 points by Wine Spectator and 88 points by Wine Enthusiast, as a “gritty, earthy bouquet with background notes of black fruit, tobacco, spice and old leather”.
TO PAIR WITH: This harrowing, fantastic presentation he recently did in the Milan Duomo during the lockdown amidst the covid-19 pandemic.
And just as I mentioned when writing about Sting, alternatively you can look at our age-worthy Tuscan red wines for investment!
Jon Bon Jovi
2015 Diving Into Hampton Water Rosé (French rosé)
The rockstar’s son Jesse once came to his father with the idea of developing a rosé label, an idea which he promptly bought and developed in partnership with the eponymous Gerard Bertrand, of Languedoc-Roussillon.
As Vivino puts it, Bon Jovi is no stranger to being a #1 hitmaker.
This wine surely keeps the flow, with “delicate notes of peachy strawberry with a subtle hint of green apple acidity make it appropriate for almost any meal or setting”, says the community and their 4.0 stars evaluation so far. It’s also part of Wine Spectator’s 2018 Top 100 Wines, with a 90-point score.
Surely not a bad name for himself.
TO PAIR WITH: Bon Jovi is a legend on stage. I’ll go with one of his many Rock in Rio performances!
John Legend
2016 LVE Chardonnay – Legend Vineyard Exclusive (Napa Valley)
For some good years already, John Legend has made a big impact in music with his #1 ballads. But he, along with his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, is also a big-time wine lover.
A Napa Valley enthusiast, Legend partnered up with the great Jean-Charles Boisset to start producing highly rated wines – ranging from a Côtes de Provence Rosé to Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend.
Whilst the Vivino has evaluated his overall wines an impressive 4.1-star rating, his 2016 Chardonnay is a 91-point by Wine Spectator. As he puts it, its acidity “makes you salivate through the finish until your next taste”. Nice.
TO PAIR WITH: This kind and soothing home concert. Shows how great his singing is, with no need for any overworked production. Nice one for the #stayhome reality!
Jay-Z
Armand de Brignac ‘Ace of Spades’ Gold Brut (Champagne)
Once Jay-Z, arguably one of the most celebrated rappers in the world, read Cristal’s Frederic Rouzaud comments insinuating that the hip-hop world was demeaning to the status of fine wine and Champagne, his boycott to the brand was the first step to show that his music and Champagne could walk side by side.
Well, Jay-Z was so fond of Armand de Brignac Champagne that he eventually bought a multimillionaire stake in 2014. Rebranding it Ace of Spades, he’s been overseeing impressive evaluations of his wines.
Its flagship Gold Brut averages an unbelievable 4.4 rating among Vivino users, while having received regular 90+ scores in various reviews, including Decanter and Wine Spectator.
Pure luxury.
TO PAIR WITH: Well, Jay-Z’s got so many different works and collaborations that I could have easily picked some ‘joint venture’ with wife superstar Beyoncé – such as their 2018 album (as The Carters), “Everything is Love”. But since this is his venture, I’ll go back to basics with a classic I used to enjoy a lot a few years back: his 2001 MTV Unplugged.
Hope you have enjoyed it.
Cheers!
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