Celebrity wines from France: More than just a publicity stunt

More and more celebrities from France and overseas are going among the winegrowers in Provence or Champagne. This is profitable business for them and the regions. But what good are their wines?

Actor Gérard Dépardieu – known for his high personal needs – went among the winegrowers on the Loire decades ago. Just like colleague Pierre Richard in the Mediterranean Corbières mountains. Singer Patrick Bruel only got a taste for it three years ago.

He lends a hand at Avignon and is already talking shop: “The Cabernet Sauvignon has suffered a bit from the heat. The new rosé seems to keep what we promised. It bears the name of my mother Augusta. But the product is more important to me than the well-known figures who do it,” Bruel said on French radio France Info.

He didn’t gamble, but sought advice from what was once the world’s best sommelier: Philippe Faure-Brac. He tastes peach, citrus fruits, herbs. “The key factor for the stars is not just to enjoy the wine, but to work with them on their image,” he says. That’s why they wanted quality. “They hire professionals for that. The whole thing has a price that the audience is willing to pay. Because the stories are extraordinary.”

Brad Pitt opened celebrity dance

It’s a profitable business. Even excellent wine only costs a few euros to produce. With the story but like 20 to 30. Like Brad Pitt’s. In 2011, he helped open the international celebrity scene and bought the Miraval estate around 60 kilometers east of Aix-en-Provence.

In the castle between terraced vineyards, olive groves and pine trees, he married Angelina Jolie a little later. Today there is trouble because Jolie has sold her stake to a wine competitor behind which a Russian oligarch is said to be standing. Pitt continues undeterred – with more and more organic and grape varieties such as Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah or Rolle and the renowned Perrin family of winemakers.

“You have true knowledge”

She praises his creativity. Pitt advertises his rosé with casual pool photos, supplies film festivals and designed the elegant bottle with the handle. The latest product: a rosé champagne, limited, for over 300 euros a bottle. Is it all just a publicity stunt, a lucrative investment?

“No, they know each other and more and more. Wine is in fashion. It’s chic, a cultural asset, positive for the reputation,” says Jean-Marie Cardebat, professor of wine economics, at RTL. In the beginning, the celebrities were often hobby winemakers who would invest in domains. “But today they have real knowledge. Experts consider Brad Pitt to be unbeatable in rosé.”

A vintage of his Miraval was voted the world’s best and made it as the 1st rosé among the top 100 wines in the world. Times are good: Rosé exports have increased by 500 percent in the last ten years. Pitt’s estate is said to have more than doubled in value to around 140 million euros. The estate cannot be visited, but artists should be able to reside there.

Collaboration with Kylie Minogue

Real estate agent Adam Dakin sells luxury wineries and knows his stuff: “This is Ridley Scott’s domain. More and more celebrities are buying in Provence because we have beautiful wineries and they want to be right here.” While some work in the vineyard, tasting, trying out or designing labels, others buy a brand, like rapper Jay-Z with his cult champagne Armand de Brignac in gold-plated bottles.

Or they lend their name to a special edition – like Kylie Minogue. Winemaker Aurélie Bertin received the Australian singer in Sainte Rosaline near Fréjus. “She was in our castle for almost a week and really wanted to get to know the domain, our team and our work,” she says. Minogue asked an enormous number of questions. “But not only you, but also our names are on the cuvée wine, because it is our know-how.”

Retreat of the stars

From the reports and interviews in the French media one hears the pride that France is so attractive. “It pulls an entire region with it. Today, Provence is something like an annex to Hollywood,” sums up wine economist Cardebat. “The demand for their wines cannot be met.”

Of course there is a fashion, an enthusiasm effect. “Brad Pitt buys something, then his friend George Clooney comes around the corner. They can also retreat to the often hundreds of acres of estates with the beautiful buildings. This is particularly important for Hollywood stars,” says Cardebat.

Johnny Depp is not doing well

Les Quelles de la Coste is John Malkovich’s brand in the south. Star Wars director George Lucas sits on Chateau Margüi and invites you to taste it twice a year. Other stars open a boutique or offer guided tours. By the way, the latest addition – but in Champagne – is Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s just not the case with Johnny Depp. His estate near Saint Tropez is for sale.