Let’s have a bit of fun this week.

“What do you mean, Maree…? We have fun every week!”

Awww, shucks you guys.

OK, then… let’s have a little more fun than we usually do!

Last week, when we were talking about Pinot, I mentioned the movie “Sideways”. In particular, the effect it had on the sales of Pinot.

It got me thinking about how pop culture influences how we think about and purchase wine.

 

SIDEWAYS

Released in 2005 and winning an Academy Award for Best Writing, you really should give it a go if you haven’t seen it.

It sees an unstable-yet-passionate Paul Giamatti teach the world about wine. Or, at least, the wine his character (Miles) loves and loathes.

Miles loves Pinot Noir. And Miles hates (with a passion) Merlot.

At risk of being told off by Heather for bad language, I need to mention a pivotal quote from the movie… “if anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f****** merlot!”

Outbursts like this may have had a lasting effect on subsequent purchasing behaviour.

According to many economic and wine experts, merlot sales experienced a measurable decline after Sideways’ release, of up to 2 percent!

Interestingly, pinot noir sales increased 16 percent during the same time. This was an apparent reflection of Miles’ obsession with the grape. Pinot noir is now the second-most-planted varietal in California’s Sonoma County (where the movie is set).

 

Lizzo

Ok, you may not have ever heard of her, but she’s had quite an effect on Chardonnay (of all things!)

In the lyrics to her smash-hit 2019 single Juice, Lizzo claims “like Chardonnay, [she] gets better over time”. 

According to the IWSR (the leading source of data and analysis on the beverage alcohol market), overall Chardonnay volume spiked by 3.8 percent in the aftermath (looking at sales from 2014 to 2019). And nearly two full percentage points over the total white wine category (up 1.9 percent from 2014 to 2019).

Neilsen data also indicated off-premise Chardonnay sales increased by 14.4 percent year-over-year during the 29-week, Covid-affected period ending September 19.

 

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Tool

If you’re a fan of alternative metal, art rock, post-metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, or heavy metal (to name a few of the genres they’re associated with!), you’re probably pretty familiar with the band Tool.

Frontman and vocalist Maynard James Keenan has a side gig as a winemaker and is passionate about wine. 

Through a couple of common connections, Maynard met Taras Ochota of Adelaide Hill’s own Ochota Barrels. 

When Tool toured Australia with the 2013 Soundwave music festival, Ochota invited him up to Adelaide Hills to hang out, check out a vineyard and make some wine. The pair pressed grapes for their first wine together two months later when Keenan returned with Tool.

They named it A Sense of Compression, just 919 bottles co-fermented with a dash of Gewürztraminer to “make the wine pop”. Most of it sold out just four days after it was released.

Sadly Taras passed away after a long illness in 2020, but Ochota Barrels wine is still made in Basket Range by his wife Amber.

 

Kylie Minogue

Believe it or not, Kylie Minogue Wines is a wine brand developed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, in collaboration with English beverages distributor Benchmark Drinks.

It was founded in 2020 and sells nine different varieties of wine produced in France, Italy, Australia, and Spain.

When I was looking for more information on it, I found a review on the Dan Murphy’s website which began with… “We didn’t expect much…”

You and me both, Dan.

But that sentence finished with “…but were delighted by the crisp beautiful taste”. Who knew?!

According to Decanter magazine, ‘Minogue’s genuinely involved; those helping her have done a good job; the wines are accessible, not ‘luxury’; she’s opening up the wine world to new palates. Anything wrong with that?’

I guess not. As long as they come and try a Somerled wine one day too!

 

Other Celebrity Winemakers

• Jay-Z: Armand de Brignac Champagne, nicknamed ‘Ace of Spades’. Although, last year he sold a 50% stake in the luxury Champagne brand to Moët Hennessy for an undisclosed sum.
• Francis Ford Coppola: The Godfather director makes wines under the Inglenook and Francis Ford Coppola Winery labels
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Miraval rosé – produced by the Provence estate owned by former couple – has done wonders for the premium rosé market.
• Golfer Ernie Els: wines from Stellenbosch
• Cliff Richard: Portuguese reds
• Sam Neill : Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago
• Sir Ian Botham
• Graham Norton
• George Clooney: own Domaine du Canadel, a 170-hectare estate in the Var region of Provence
• Jon Bon Jovi: produces a rosé under the Hampton Water label

And I’m sure there are many others (and no doubt many more to come).

Personally, I’m going to stick with the wines I love made by our very own rockstar, Rob Moody!

Oh, and remind me one day to tell you the story of when I served a glass of shiraz to Baldrick from Blackadder (aka Tony Robinson)!

 

Let’s finish with a wine in pop culture quiz I found on another winery’s website (they’re Californian, so I’m sure they won’t mind!).

Have fun!

 

Q1: In which Queen song are Moët and Chandon mentioned?

A: “Killer Queen”

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Q2: In the movie Groundhog Day, what does Bill Murray’s character drink every day for ten years?

A: Sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist (Vermouth is an acceptable answer)

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Q3: What Bay Area rapper owns a line of wine and spirits, with names like Function Red Blend, Mangoscato, and Slurricane?

A: E-40 or Earl Stevens (either answer is acceptable)

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Q4: A line of wines was inspired by each of the following series, except one. Which one? Game of Thrones, Duck Dynasty, Sons of Anarchy, or the Walking Dead?

A: Sons of Anarchy

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Q5: What was the name of the song and the name of 1990’s singer/songwriter of the song that includes a line about “a black fly in your Chardonnay”?

A: “Ironic,”  Alanis Morisette

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Q6: What iconic female duo was known for drinking wine on their morning talk show from 2007 until 2018?

A: Kathie Lee Gifford (KLG) and Hoda Kotb

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Q7: What was the wine enjoyed by Hannibal Lecter among fava beans and the liver of a census taker in the Silence of the Lambs? 

A: Chianti

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Q8: In 2019, a woman at a Walmart in Texas was banned from their stores after being caught at 6:30AM drinking a bottle of wine disguised as a can of what?

A: Pringles 

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Q9: The desk featured in what Golden Globe and Oscar-winning film can be found at the winery owned by the film’s director in the Dry Creek Valley?

A: The Godfather

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Q10: In the 1998 remake of the Parent Trap, what actor played Napa winery owner Nick Parker?

A: Dennis Quaid 

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Q11: What wine varietal does Lizzo mention in her hit song “Juice”?

A: Chardonnay

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Q12: What is the name of the Emmy-winning Bay Area baseball reporter who hosts “Wine Wednesdays” on Instagram Live, featuring current and past MLB players, coaches, and managers?

A: Amy G. or Amy Gutierrez (either answer is acceptable)

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Q13: In Netflix’s Wine Country film, what comedic actress played the owner of the home in which the group of middle-aged friends stayed?

A: Tina Fey

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Q14: Pantone’s color of the year in 2009 was named after what classic sparkling wine cocktail?

A: Mimosa 

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Q15: In the film Sideways, Paul Giammati’s character Miles protests drinking what wine varietal?

A: Merlot 

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Q16: What is James Bond’s favorite champagne?

A: Bollinger

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Q17: In the Jerk, Steve Martin’s character turns down what prestigious 1996 wine in favor of “fresh wine, this year’s”?

A: Château Latour

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Q18: The wines featured in the Game of Thrones line are focused around what wine growing region? 

A: Rhône (Game of Rhônes)

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Q19: What Hollywood couple created a line of “quarantine wine” from which 100% of the proceeds will be going directly to COVID-19 relief efforts? 

A: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis

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Q20: What English actor played snooty Paris-based wine expert Steven Spurrier in Bottle Shock?

A: Alan Rickman

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