A Star Is Born?
Celebrities are into wineries. And, they have been for years. So, I wonder if a star is born? My first experience was when I visited Fattoria il Palagio in San Gimignano, Tuscany. It is an excellent winery owned by Sting and his wife Trudie Styler. San Gimignano is known for a white wine called Vernaccia di San Gimignano. But, the grape is known as Vernaccia. And, Sting’s winery makes great wines that are whites and reds. Unfortunately, that is where my fondness of celebrities getting involved with wine ends.
No Stars Equals Better Wines
First, most celebrities feel that since they enjoy wine that they can make wine. The best hire people who know how to make wine. But, sometimes even they end up using their star status to price gouge. For example, Yao Ming has a winery. He was a basketball star who is from China who decided he would sell wine. Why would someone spend $45-$50 on his base Cabernet Sauvignon when you could buy so many more reputable versions from stellar wineries at similar prices? I would not. Plus, he is price gouging regardless how it tastes. Who would pay $225 for his reserve Cabernet?
And, many celebrities think that because they get to drink a lot of good wines, that they also are knowledgeable about wine. It takes a lot more than that to really know about wine. Those that do it right include Francis Ford Coppola, Sting and John Malkovich to name a few. They employ the original winemakers to continue to make great wine. Or, like Coppola establish a huge winery in Napa that is a beautiful tourist attraction with different levels of wines. Those that do it shame are Yao Ming, Kevin O’Leary, and George Lucas to name a few. Yao Ming wine, seriously?
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