1. Celebrities are famous for reasons unrelated to wine. An ability to sing or perform or drive a car very fast has nothing to do with an ability to turn grapes into wine.
Have you ever watched a great actor in a play, listened to a talented singer or watched a basketball player race down the court and thought, “I wonder what that person could do with Pinot Noir”? No, you have not-unless you are that celebrity’s agent or own a marketing company.
2. Celebrity wines are almost always overpriced relative to the quality of the wine in the bottle, contributing to shameless price gouging. I call this the “fame tax.”
With the name of even a B- or C-list celebrity attached to the label, a perfectly ordinary bottle of wine will cost more than it should. Take, for example the US$11 (S$15) 2015 Dreaming Tree Sauvignon Blanc from Dave Matthews I recently bought. Drinkable but unremarkable, it tasted similar to other wines I’ve bought for much less. I have no idea why a talented guy like Dave would want his name on the stuff.
Dave Campbell of Red Light Management, the firm that manages Mr. Matthews’ career, said: “Dave wanted to make quality wines accessible to everyone and priced for everyday enjoyment.”
3. Another reason these wines aren’t a great buy: Since there is rarely any actual history or deep, credible knowledge behind these wines’ creation, a lot of time and money must be spent on the look of the bottle and label, and on promotion-often more than on the wine itself.
Celebrities, especially the C- and B-listers, need to stay in the spotlight perpetually, or they cease to exist.
4. Celebrities don’t stay celebrities for long, so it doesn’t pay to become attached to these wines.
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