Celebrity Wine - Porn, Sports and Rock 'n Roll!

What do Grammy Award winning musician Carlos Santana and race track star, Jeff Gordon have in common? Their own wine labels. First it started with 60's TV star Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons (who would later sell the vineyard to E& J Gallo) and later Fess Parker, who is probably just as well known for his destination winery, spa and soon to be seaside hotel, than he is for the roles he played as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Other TV stars of the 60's came along like the Smothers Brothers who own Smothers Winery and Remick Ridge Vineyards of Sonoma.

There are big distinctions behind those labels - the celebs who take active roles in their vineyards and/or wineries (like Smothers and Parker) and those who pay negociants to fetch the wine from various wineries, such as three of my favorite rock legends: Santana, Bob Dylan and Mick Fleetwood. Then we have posthumous labels of rock legends such as Jerry Garcia and of course, Elvis.

One of the more famous wineries, especially seen all over northern California grocery stores is from famed film director of the "Godfather" trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola’s wine label. Yes, this Walla Walla Wine Woman has been known to enjoy a bottle here and there - the Zinfandels are quite nice. However, let’s not forget (no wait - - let's forget) about daughter, Sofia Coppola's Gen-X spin on wine. The stuff in the can that is marketed "for the person who lives like there is no tomorrow." Who thinks like that? There should be no tomorrow when we start drinking wine out of a can.

The Gallo Winery found a "good thing" when they announced last month their partnership with MSO to develop a brand of wines under the "Martha Stewart Vintage" label. Now your dinner party will be complete with the meal prepared from your MS cookbook and MS cookware, your table set with MS plates and linens (umm...even the dining table can be from the MS Katonah or MS Turkey Hill collection) and of course you will need the MS wine glasses from Macy*s to drink the MS vintage from.

Last but not least, golfing legends like Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer. Norman actually owns an estate winery and vineyard and the Palmer label is a partnership with a winery.

So what got me started on this rant? Yesterday, in one of my many wine-related emails was the announcement of the new "Mamietage Collection of Fine Wines." This collection of "fine wines" is named after screen legend and notorious blond bombshell Mamie Van Doren. Huh? I thought she was dead! I must have confused her with the other two blond "Bombshells" of the 50's. Okay, so how do I know about the "The Three M's — Mamie, Monroe and Mansfield?" Umm...my mother told me?

"Mamietage" is produced in 1.5 liter bottles featuring three images of Mamie. Two of the images are of Mamie as she is today, and the third image is from Mamie at the age of 21. The wine labels all feature nude poses of Mamie covered up by a top, clear "peel away" label that has stars strategically placed. Once you peel the label away - - a nude Mamie! The peel away portion is attached, and can be replaced to it's original form. How special - like paper dolls!

Last year I blogged "Porn Wine" regarding porn star Savanna Samson launching her own brand of Italian wine. Wine critic, Robert Parker gave the wine 90 points and claimed Samson’s wine to be "luscious and oppulent." Oh reee-ally Mr. Parker. "Luscious and oppulent," you say?

So, all of these celebrity wines got me to thinking - I need my own wine label. Hey! I’m a celebrity - a wine blogging celebrity - the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman - a celebrity in my own mind! I could have peel away labels like paper dolls. Your choice of bare umm - - feet or Birkenstocks. Purple and red reading glasses or no eyeglasses. Fountain pen behind my ears or laptop computer. Toga with belly dancing scarves or Washington State University sweat shirt with Sponge Bob Squarepants sweat pants? Ain't she purty? My paperdoll image can be holding your choice of wine. Red or white, but never a glass of White Zin. Cheers!