Give celebs a chance

A fascinating and timely column from Andrew Jefford in your March edition, ‘Great wine needs no help from designers or celebrities’. Like Andrew, I believe that one of the small upsides from the dreadful pandemic is the opportunity it afforded us to slow down, embrace simplicity and rein back some of the worst excesses of consumerism.

The ever-growing list of so-called ‘celebrity wines’ does seem out of step with the current mood, but rather than dismiss the phenomenon out of hand, a more nuanced approach is needed. While no one should support a shallow celebrity vanity project where branding trumps product, nor should we dismiss out of hand those with a genuine passion who happen to be better known for their stellar showbusiness careers.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Miraval is rightly rated as a great, easy-drinking crowd pleaser, Sting has helped revive the use of native Italian grapes on his Tuscan estate (see p34), and Jay-Z somewhat surprisingly tops the chart with his highly prized Armand de Brignac Champagne. Furthermore, where celebrities partner with winemakers with talent and flair, and support local and artisan production, the added sparkle of a known celebrity may help the next generation of new novice drinkers to develop a love for wine, and in doing so help secure the industry into the future.

Charlotte Marples, Brighton

Good point. This month Andrew Jefford discusses wine and celebrity with Kylie Minogue on p14.