You're the wine that I want: After Grease legend Olivia Newton-John launches her own vintage, OLLY SMITH gives his verdict on the top celebrity tipples

  • Olivia Newton-John announced she is to release a merlot and chardonnay
  • She's among the stars securing winemakers to make their wines stand out
  • Cliff Richard and Brad Bitt and Angelina Jolie also produce own vintages

Vintage notes: Olivia Newton-John with her nephew, Emerson, and a bottle of her new wine

Vintage notes: Olivia Newton-John with her nephew, Emerson, and a bottle of her new wine

How thrilling to taste wine made by your favourite A-lister. Not so enthralling when the flavours in your glass taste like the bitter tears of a wannabe Z-lister.

For example, I love AC/DC’s classic rocker You Shook Me All Night Long. But when I tasted their moscato wine, released under the same name, it shook me all right – but not in a good way.

Last week, singer and actress Olivia Newton-John announced she is to release a merlot and chardonnay from California’s Sonoma wine region under her ‘Pink and Blue For Two’ label, with ten per cent of the proceeds going to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer And Wellness Centre in Australia and a further ten per cent to the PB42.org campaign committed to the early detection of prostate and breast cancer.

The chardonnay is produced in Anderson Valley, northern California, and is said to have ‘huge personality’. The merlot has also received rave reviews for being ‘fruity but not bombastic’.

Newton-John is among a select band of savvy celebs who are securing top-notch winemakers to make sure their signature wines exude star quality.

For instance, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Miraval rosé from their estate in Provence is overseen by the Perrin family of famed Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Similarly, the actor Sam Neill’s wines from New Zealand’s Otago under his Two Paddocks label are, for my money, some of the finest pinots from the region.

Sam’s attention to detail is laudable. He told me when I visited him that his aim is ‘discreet winemaking respectful of vineyard’. But crucially, Sam’s winemaker Dean Shaw, again, is a real talent.

At a recent dinner with England’s Aussie-busting fast bowler Jimmy Anderson at Lord’s, Jimmy gave me the tip-off that he too is releasing a wine. For a first release, as you’ll see on this page, it’s a decent stab.

Elegant offering: Sam Neill, left, with Olly Smith at his Two Paddocks vineyard Otago, New Zealand

Elegant offering: Sam Neill, left, with Olly Smith at his Two Paddocks vineyard Otago, New Zealand

But he’s not the first cricketer or sportsman to do it – Ian Botham and Bob Willis teamed up with Aussie winemaking legend Geoff Merrill to release their hearty range, and golfer Ernie Els in South Africa is making wines that are genuinely outstanding.

These bottles may cost a few bob more than your average plonk, but pick the right celebrity wine and you can bask in its stellar appeal.

SHOULD YOU PULL THE CORK ON A BOTTLE OF A-LISTERS PLONK TONIGHT? 

Brangelina 

Miraval Rosé 2014 (13%) £18 Marks & Spencer

Just like the couple who created it. Vibrant, classy, perfectly fresh Provençal rosé for sipping by the pool all summer long. Excellent quality and well worth the price.

Verdict: Sheer Brambrosia

Miraval Rosé 2014
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Excellent quality: Brad and Angelina's rose (left) is vibrant and classy - just like the couple who created it

Ian Botham

Botham Merrill Willis 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (14.5%) £16.99 cheerswinemerchants.co.uk

Hearty Aussie cabernet with the pedigree of a top-notch winemaker behind it. Decent bet for roast lamb or steaks on the barbie.

Verdict: Big and Beefy

Value for money: Sting and Trudie at their estate

Value for money: Sting and Trudie at their estate


Sting & Trudie 

When We Dance Chianti 2012 (13%) £11.75 vintageroots.co.uk

My best-value celebrity tipple comes from the Tenuta Il Palagio Tuscan estate that was restored by Sting and Trudie. The cherrylike tang of authentic chianti is spot on with Italian dishes.

Verdict: Every sip you take, you’ll be walking on the moon


Jimmy Anderson 

81 Reserve Rouge 2014 from his Numbers Collection (12%) £9.95 winecellarclub.co.uk

The name refers to Jimmy’s score for England against India in 2014. It’s great for a barbecue while watching the cricket – when England are thumping it to the Aussies.

Verdict: Hits the right spot


Francis Ford Coppola

Coppola Inglenook Rubicon Red 2010 (13.9%) £169.99 htfwines.co.uk

The 2005 Rubicon is an epic wine and the 2010 has fragrance and glossy richness. Impressive.

Verdict: The Glugfather


Cliff Richard 

Vida Nova Syrah/Aragonez Rosé 2011 (13.5%) £8.99 waitrosecellar.com

On the dark side for a rosé so pair with hearty fare. With its touch of spice, it’s a serviceable bet for Cliff fans, but not much more.

Verdict: Living Doll? More Devil Woman

Dark for rose: With its touch of spice, Sir Cliff's wine is a serviceable bet for  fans, but not much more

Dark for rose: With its touch of spice, Sir Cliff's wine is a serviceable bet for fans, but not much more

Ernie Els 

Ernie Els Signature Blend 2006 (14.7%) £40.45 wimbledonwinecellar.com

Bold, fruity, rich and bursting with flavour. This South African icon is laden with muscular fruit and depth. Serious wine.

Verdict: Down the hatch in one


Sam Neill 

Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2012 (13%) £33.99 corksout.com

One of Otago’s top pinots, elegant with long-lasting flavours, this is a world-class red of silky poise and stellar finesse that will age and improve for decades to come.

Verdict: Oscar worthy 

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