Why celebrities are getting in on the wine act

Cynics would call it a publicity stunt purely for the marketing of a business, raking in billions in profit from sales across the globe. Nonetheless, it seems to be a logical move as pairing celebrities and fine wine adds even greater glamour and sophistication to a vintage. Take for instance the Perrin winemaking family, who appear to have pulled off a coup by teaming up with Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to release their Miraval rosé this month.

So the question is do celebrities have a passion for the grape, or is it merely advancing the wine market, achieving maximum exposure and, ultimately, big profits? Celebrity owned and/or branded wines, sparkling wines and Champagnes can command a much better selling price in the shops as appetites for the famous increase.

Pitt and Jolie are just one example of an increasing number of the famous few who are waking up to the potential of not just putting their brand to a bottle, but owning the winery. Vineyards around the world are being snapped up by the likes of Sir Cliff Richard, Antonio Banderas and Dan Aykroyd, as they decide to venture into the world of wine. While some stars seem unlikely candidates to enter this realm, most celebrities do feel obliged to produce a good quality wine in an effort to protect their own brand.

There are some wines that simply use a celebrity as a marketing tool, such as the Zilzie brand, which used Australian cricketer Shane Warne to promote its wines, or E&J Gallo Winery, which recruited Martha Stewart in an effort to become household names, and reap considerable growth and profit through celebrity marketing. There are also celebrities who have built up their vineyards and businesses from scratch, have a true passion and working knowledge of their properties, and often grow genuinely excellent products.

Nevertheless, as the sales of celebrity-labelled wines continue to increase, these vintages on average cost 30 per cent more per bottle. The name - if you have one - is definitely worth mentioning.

Some A-listers have been quietly walking the vines, bottling and selling the grapes of their own vineyards for decades. Actor Gérard Depardieu and Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola have been in the business for more than 30 years. Although their ventures have respectively cost them millions, and with varied rewards, they have created thriving businesses.

Already an oenophile, Coppola originally intended to find a summer home in Napa Valley, where he could produce wine for friends and family. Instead, he purchased one of the best-situated vineyards in the area, Inglenook, a 670-hectare property with a fascinating timeline of winemaking and vintners.

"I was amazed that a big company like Seagrams, or the established winemakers like [Robert] Mondavi, didn't buy that property," Coppola recalls. "That they let a filmmaker come in and take a jewel of Napa Valley was a miracle."

Over the past 40 years, Coppola has spent more than US$45 million on making Inglenook the world-famous winery it is today, producing some of the best-known wines, all bearing the Coppola name. Coppola's Niebaum-Coppola Cabernet Franc 2002 is described by American wine columnist Michael Steinberger as "having aromas of cranberries, blackberries, licorice, and dried leaves, with a pungent earthiness, as well. The fruit has a delicious sweet-and-sour taste, and the structure is excellent."

Widely recognised for his contribution to wine, Coppola has created a complete experience for visitors to his winery, allowing for public tasting, tours and even dining in the Rustic restaurant. Coppola says his goal in the wine business is "to perfect the Rubicon". He adds: "We know we have the earth and the fruit to make the ultimate wine of its kind."