6 Rock-Star Wines

There's an old saying that if you want to make $1 million dollars in the winemaking business, it's easy -- just start with $4 million! That may not be entirely true; you're probably more likely to end up with nothing, but that's another story.

Well, it is certainly easier to get into this risky and difficult business if you are flush with cash, and that is seeing an increasingly large number of celebrity-owned wine brands. We've previously taken a look at some of the great sporting figures of the gridiron and racecar world, but today I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the great music industry names that are now proudly, and successfully I might add, making wine.

It's not very surprisingly to see that many in the entertainment, and particularly the music, industry have branched out into winemaking. Seems like as people get a bit older, and a bit slower, they might want to replace a bowl of brown M&Ms and a fifth of Johnnie Walker Black with something a bit easy on the system. So, without further ado, here are five of our favorite music industry winemakers.

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Bruce Cohn (Doobie Brothers)

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B.R. Cohn Bruce Cohn might be well known as the manager of the Doobie Brothers, but this Sonoma County local boy was also part of the wine revolution that overtook northern California beginning in the late 1970s. Bruce not only purchased vineyard land as early as 1974 -- selling off fruit to well known wineries, such as Sebastiani, Gundlach Bundschu and Ravenswood, before making his own wine -- but he also gave a legend her start. After founding the winery in 1984, Bruce hired the then-unknown winemaker Helen Turley, an undisputed winemaking star of our day. If I was a gambling man I'd be betting on Bruce Cohn. B.R. Cohn is famous for its Olive Hill Cabernet and its eponymous olive grove.

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B.R. Cohn

Bruce Cohn might be well known as the manager of the Doobie Brothers, but this Sonoma County local boy was also part of the wine revolution that overtook northern California beginning in the late 1970s.

Bruce not only purchased vineyard land as early as 1974 -- selling off fruit to well known wineries, such as Sebastiani, Gundlach Bundschu and Ravenswood, before making his own wine -- but he also gave a legend her start. After founding the winery in 1984, Bruce hired the then-unknown winemaker Helen Turley, an undisputed winemaking star of our day. If I was a gambling man I'd be betting on Bruce Cohn.

B.R. Cohn is famous for its Olive Hill Cabernet and its eponymous olive grove.

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Have you tried any of these wines? Do you know of any other wines that have come from those in the music industry? Share in the comments...

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Comments

[SimplyForties]

11:31 AM on 01/26/2011

Can't believe you left out Dave Matthews from the Dave Matthews band. His Blenheim Vineyard outside Charlottesville, VA is producing some excellent wines.

[Chyna Doll]

08:38 PM on 01/19/2011

okay my apologies my com didnt load the paragraph

[Roseberry]

12:29 PM on 01/16/2011

There is no such thing as a wine snob, only people who enjoy wines. Gosh you could paint people as car snobs, cigar snobs, and food snobs also if you want. It comes down to whether you get into tasting and testing and relishing all the flavors that are available. And I do! Nom.

[liberalbug]

01:07 AM on 01/16/2011

the whole wine snob thing has sucked in as many celebrities as it has empty suburbinites.

[crom14]

08:07 PM on 01/14/2011

I have had a few of Madonna's ..... they are wonderful.

[VerizonCells]

03:12 PM on 01/14/2011

B.R. Cohn,,, Really?

must be at least 30 current celebs that could be on this list north of sf alone.

[sjssf]

03:06 PM on 01/14/2011

How could you forget Boz Skaggs???? Great wine from Mt Veeder in Napa.

[Alex Franks]

02:35 PM on 01/14/2011

Dave Matthews owns a winery outside of Charlottesville, VA called Blenheim. I visited last November and had a case shipped back to Washington state.. It felt a little blasphemous since I live in the heart of Washington wine country (Columbia river valley), but I did enjoy the cab franc and the Painted Red and Painted White blends. Loved the artwork on the 'Painted' bottles too, which were designed by Mr. Matthews.

[repugnicansfearme]

02:35 PM on 01/14/2011

Olivia Newton John. Ah, the tee shirt days.

[badwalrus]

02:10 PM on 01/14/2011

The Doobie Brothers guy totally missed his calling by getting into wine. He should be getting into medical marijuana! With a pedigree like his, selling doobies would be a marketing campaign that writes itself. Ha!

[JMike]

02:04 PM on 01/14/2011

Several years ago, we ran across the B.R. Cohn winery while making our way through Sonoma. There's a huge black velvet painting on the wall of the tasting room, and I kept looking at it, then at the guy behind the bar. A little older, but the same guy -- Bruce Cohn himself. Got an autographed bottle of the Cabernet, which is absolutely fantastic! The empty signed bottle is on display in our kitchen. If you can find B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon -- BUY A CASE!

[SconnieGuy]

02:01 PM on 01/14/2011

Maynard's vino sounds rather interesting. I am excited to try it!

This list does leave out winemaker/bassist Les Claypool (Primus, Oysterhead, etc) and Claypool Cellars from Sonoma Co.

[leazzel]

01:31 PM on 01/14/2011

I can't even drink wine, never liked the taste. When I was younger I was hooked on Manischewitz. Not so high brow.

[onlyaquarterdelusional]

01:17 PM on 01/17/2011

Most people who do not like wine have only been exposed to awful wine. Try a good quality dry riesling. If you can't like that, well...

[roquelaure]

01:22 PM on 01/14/2011

Caduceus wines are fantastic (that's Maynard's wines). These are definitely special occasion wines, however, as they're quite pricey, and there's a long span in each year where they won't ship because it's too hot in Arizona to not damage the juice on the way out. Buy a few at a time and save 'em up. However, I think even an undeveloped palate will find a lot to love here. They also have a fascinating blog that shows the actual work that goes into the wine, and the ins and outs of being a wine maker, so you can follow the fruit from vine to bottle!

Note: read the labels. It seems like a rock star being eccentric, but I've found they're genuinely informative on the personality of the wines, unlike most labels that all say some combination of a) descriptor of region, b) a list of fruits that is always plum, cherry, or raspberry c) smooth. Heh. If Caduceus says it tastes like an orange creamsicle - it's a good bet that it will. :)

Oh, uh... one more thing. Decant these wines. These are all new fruits in a new region as the article says, and they tend to need a little battering around to open up.

[Exene]

01:10 PM on 01/14/2011

Don't forget the Smothers Brothers (I know they aren't rock, but neither are Madonna and Olivia Newton-John).