Oscars!

With the Academy Awards now behind us, we thought it might be fitting to get you up to speed on the increasing number of celebrities making wine or owning their own labels. A quick Google search returns some interesting celebrities making wine ranging from rapper Lil Jon to Nancy Pelosi to Jason Priestly of Beverly Hills 90210 fame. For a fun and informative list of celebrities who own wineries, you should really click here.

After reading the large and growing list, we at True Fabrications had to wonder if celebrities do in fact sell more wine? We dug around a little and found a quick review of Nielsen data online that says:

“The Nielsen data, which do not reflect the impact of the current economic crisis, indicate that grocery store sales of celebrity wine grew by nearly 19 percent in 2007, albeit from a low base (the celebrity wine category is still a small market segment - less than one percent).

The average price of the celebrity wines, $8.50, is higher than the supermarket average of $5.75, according to Nielsen. Unsurprisingly, the Nielsen report focuses on marketing and distribution (not the quality of the wines themselves) as the key factors driving sales growth.”

Has your store created a section in your wine store dedicated to celebrity wines? We would love to hear your feedback on whether celebrity wines sell or if customers ask for them in your stores to pick up as fun and novel wine gifts? Email us back if you have any comments on this topic as we would love to hear from you.

Cheers!