It seems so glamorous, the life of a winemaker. It’s all about
lazing around on dreamy summer afternoons, counting profits in the
shade of grapevines while birds sing a merry tune and cherubs flit
about bringing snacks and replenishing beverages.
It seems so glamorous, the life of a winemaker. It’s all about lazing around on dreamy summer afternoons, counting profits in the shade of grapevines while birds sing a merry tune and cherubs flit about bringing snacks and replenishing beverages.
Maybe that’s why so many celebrities are attracted to the idea of owning a winery. As if their lives weren’t fabulous enough, what with jetting off to Ibiza or Istanbul on a whim, hanging out with other glitterati and going on Michael Jackson-like antique buying binges.
The reality is something else altogether. Any winemaker will tell you that making wine is backbreaking work. But then again, if you have enough money, you can hire someone to make the wine for you and stick your name on it.
Which is what some celebrities have done. Granted, there are some who actually get involved in the making of their wine, but I’d bet the best bottle in my collection that you won’t find Fess Parker or Francis Ford Coppola out in the fields pruning vines.
Aside from those two highly successful examples, celebrities who do or used to produce wine include comedians the Smothers Brothers (Remick Ridge), actors James Garner (Chateau Jimbeaux), Raymond Burr (Raymond Burr Vineyards), Jose Ferrer (Gloria Ferrer) and Sam Neil (Central Otago Wine Cellar of New Zealand). Other celebrities with wine labels include Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming and race driver Mario Andretti.
A very long time ago, I stopped on a whim at what was then called the Smothers Brothers Winery tasting room in Kenwood.
In those days, I knew next to nothing about wine, but I did know who the Smothers Brothers were from their TV show. Inside was a very quiet older gentleman with an engagingly dry sense of humor. We started chatting, and eventually introduced ourselves. His name was Pat Paulsen (mine is at the top of this column).
Paulsen was a comedian who became famous in the 1960s and 70s as a result of his appearances on the aforementioned Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. His was a deadpan, downtrodden character, sort of like a Rodney Dangerfield on Valium.
As a spoof, he ran for President of the United States, a joke that gained him a lot of attention and allowed his name to crop up in the news every four years or so. In addition to working on their show, Pat was a close friend of Tom and Dick Smothers. When they started making wine, Pat did too.
The day I visited, Paulsen kindly signed two bottles for me; one red and one white. I sent one to my dad in Florida because he was a big fan. He still has it. Pat Paulsen passed away in 1997.
So anyway, even Madonna’s parents have gotten in on the act. Silvio and Joan Ciccione own and operate Ciccione Vineyard and Winery in Sutton’s Bay, Mich.
Sutton’s Bay is on the Leelanau Peninsula, near Traverse City, current home of another famous couple, John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of JonBenet. For some reason, I’ve always found it odd that, like me, Madonna is originally from Michigan. I never knew anyone like that there.
Unlike the Material Girl’s public image, Michigan wines tend to be somewhat sweet. As you might imagine, the growing season there is somewhat short. Ciccione produces Gewurztraminer, a fruity Chardonnay and some medium-bodied reds such as Pinot Noir.
The northeast corner of Michigan is also well-known as a cherry-growing region (it’s home of the “Guinness Book of Records'” “World’s Largest Cherry Pie”) and many wineries produce cherry wines.
No exception, Ciccione makes “Cherri-Noir,” described as “Tart cherry wine blended with our Pinot Noir wine. Great with dessert, as an after dinner drink or as a warm drink on a cool night.” Trust me. They have plenty of cool nights to enjoy Cherri-Noir.
Fess Parker and Francis Ford Coppola are two Hollywood types who are very serious about winemaking.
It seems natural for an Italian-American like Coppola to be interested in wine, but somehow weird that a guy who is famous for portraying aw-shucks characters like Dan’l Boone and Davy Crockett to be in the business.
Coppola is very serious indeed. When he went into the wine business, the property he acquired was already well-known for Inglenook, made by one of the pioneers of the Napa Valley wine industry, Gustave Niebaum. The director restored the chateau on the property, and now Niebaum-Coppola is producing some very highly respected wines.
Parker doesn’t mess around, either. Located in Santa Barbara County, Fess Parker Winery farms more than 700 acres on four vineyards.
As his daughter Ashley states “Fess is from Texas, so he can’t do anything small.”
As for James Garner’s Chateaux Jimbaux (pronounced Jimbo), I wasn’t able to find any information on it.
My guess is that it’s a very small production run reserved for friends. KGO talk show host Ronn Owens mentioned on his program that he had tasted the wine one day, so I wrote to him to ask about it. Owens replied to my e-mail “It’s very, very good!”
