Celebrity wines worth trying: six of the best from Kylie and Brad Pitt to Sting and Gary Barlow

What do Sam Neill, John Malkovich and Francis Ford Coppola have in common? They have all had acclaimed film careers, of course, but did you know that each also owns vineyards and produces wine? Neill’s venture is in New Zealand, Malkovich’s in Provence and Coppola’s in California, although the Godfather director recently sold some of these to fund the movie Megalopolis.

With our obsession with celebrity, it is hardly surprising that rock stars, rappers, singers, actors, chefs, film directors, golfers, cricketers, soccer players and fashion designers have jumped on the bandwagon to offer a wine (or in some cases a collection of wines) or spirit adorned with their name. I stopped counting after 50 celebrities, so it must be profitable – and maybe it strokes few egos at the same time. I read Kylie Minogue has sold 17 million bottles of her wines. Thecelebritywinecollection.com has a fairly comprehensive listing of available brands.

Broadly, you can divide the category into two: the celebrities who simply slap a label bearing their name on to an existing wine, and those who get more involved.

Some in the first category may take part in a blending exercise to create their unique wine, but that might be the extent of their involvement. If they are sufficiently well known, sales will rocket and a fortune on marketing will have been saved. The most successful names include Graham Norton and Kylie Minogue, both of whom sell a range of wines. Not all work as well; I was sent several rather mature vintages from some importers, suggesting sales are a little slow. However, most are well-made, easy-drinking, inexpensive fruity wines (often with a little residual sugar) that add a bit of fun to wine. Others are more serious in price; Jay-Z took over Armand de Brignac Champagne and turned it into one of the most sought-after bottles of fizz for many. The Gold Brut will set you back about $400 a bottle.

Celebrity wines worth trying: six of the best from Kylie and Brad Pitt to Sting and Gary Barlow

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The latest celebrity to launch a wine is our own Amy Huberman, the actor and writer. Called Ah, (including the comma) the label has eye-catching imagery, and has a place to write messages and greetings. There are two wines, a sparkling rosé and a sauvignon, both from Spain. The Ah Cava rosé is pale in colour, refreshing with attractive raspberry and strawberry fruits and a dry finish. This is an enjoyable wine, not too sweet. The Ah sauvignon blanc is not like your average Marlborough version (Spain is not noted for its sauvignon) and may be a more difficult sell. It has light aromatics, lower acidity and plump peach fruits. It’s a decent, well-made wine – fine if unexciting.

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Some stars go all in by actually buying their own vineyard and winery. This has romantic appeal and also signals the celebrity has made it financially. It requires a significant investment in land and buildings as well as hiring good winemakers and viticulturists. Not surprisingly, these wines tend to be more expensive and available in limited quantities. The best-known is probably the Provence rosé Château Miraval started by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in conjunction with quality Rhône wine producer Perrin. From the start it has been in huge demand. However, ownership has become mired in conflict as Pitt fights to hold on to the estate, Jolie having sold her share to the Stoli group. I include the very good (and less expensive) Studio by Miraval.

For the first category, where the label is key, celebrity recognition transcends terroir. Following a poor harvest in Marlborough one year, the Graham Norton sauvignon was temporarily sourced from South Africa. Both Norton and Kylie wines are sourced from different countries, Norton offering Shiraz from Australia, Prosecco from Italy and Malbec from Argentina. His gin comes from west Cork.

I tasted a dozen celebrity wines, mostly white or rosé from the likes of Brad Pitt, Gordon Ramsay, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gary Barlow. My favourites? Sam Neill’s Two Paddocks wines from Central Otago in New Zealand are fantastic. Also, we have Sting, whose Tuscan estate Il Palagio produces a range of good wines, usually named after one of his songs. As mentioned, Miravel is pretty good too. Apparently Dolce & Gabbana are such big fans of the Sicilian winery Donnafugata that they pour its wines at all their shows. They decided to collaborate with special releases of three wines and the Tancredi (named for a character in epic Sicilian novel The Leopard) is very drinkable too.

Of the less expensive wines, Kylie’s wines showed very well, with good clean fruit, as did several Graham Norton wines. Given celebrity wine must be sold at a premium in order to give the celebrity a share of the profits, they are unlikely to be bargains. But most of these were selling at €10-€15 and offered reasonable value for money.