Rolling Stones shine a light on B.C.'s wine industry
Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, April 07, 2008

BRITISH COLUMBIA - The Rolling Stones are about to shine a light on B.C.'s wine industry.

Ex Nihilo Vineyards Inc. near Kelowna will begin marketing their limited-edition "Sympathy for the Devil" icewine on May 1 after the company worked out a deal with Mick and the boys to form a licensing partnership.

It's all part of a trend toward celebrities  attaching their names to wine products.
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"It's going to add more credibility [to Ex Nihilo]," company owner Jeff Harder said in an interview. "[The Rolling Stones] don't just join anybody. They like our wine and our concept."

Harder said he first got the idea three years ago after attending a Rolling Stones concert in San Francisco.

He was invited to a VIP dinner hosted by the Stones where he linked up with Martin Erlichman - whose Los Angeles-based Celebrity Cellars links wineries with celebrities, including Madonna, KISS and Celine Dion.

Harder said members of the Stones have tried his icewine, but haven't yet visited his winery. "To get good icewine, you have to come to the Okanagan. [The Rolling Stones] are very familiar with Canadian icewine. [They] tried our wine and gave it two thumbs up."

Harder, who has formed Celebrity Cellars Canada, an extension of Erlichman's company, also leases other vineyard properties in the Okanagan Valley.

The company has future plans to release a Rolling Stones red and white wine.

Harder, who recently returned from New York, where he attended the premiere of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine A Light, said each bottle in the 222 cases of their Rolling Stones icewine will be hand-numbered.

Harder refused to say how much The Rolling Stones will make in the licensing agreement, only that "The Rolling Stones do get paid.

"I was also fascinated by their music and their business model. They do a good job at it."

He said bottles will sell for about $125.

Meanwhile, a new study conducted by research company Nielsen has found that sales of celebrity wines are up nearly 19 per cent in U.S. grocery stores since last year.

"Celebrities are increasingly lending their names to wine and spirits, for a variety of reasons," said Richard Hurst, senior vice-president of beverage alcohol for The Nielsen Company. "While some celebrities have had a long-standing personal affinity for these product categories, others view these products as extensions of their established 'lifestyle brands' and have connected with willing supplier partners to produce and market them. Some suppliers, particularly wine suppliers, do not have the resources to launch big advertising and promotional campaigns and a celebrity can lend a brand-instant recognition. Ideally, the celebrity's reputation also helps reinforce the company's image in the marketplace.

"Several factors are fueling the growth of celebrity wines," added Hurst. "First, existing brands are expanding and gaining new distribution through new line extensions. Second, more celebrities have launched their own brands in the past year or have had suppliers launch products under their names. As these brands have proven themselves, they've gained distribution in other retail outlets, which has further stimulated growth. And third, savvy marketers leverage the 'celebrity' benefit into expanded marketing programs via in-store vehicles, outdoor events and traditional and online media."

Gary Vaynerchuk, host of the Thunder Show webcast on www.winelibrarytv.com, said that celebrity wines are "the next new marketing oasis.

"It's a holy grail opportunity for celebrities to build their own personal brand. Unlike beer and liquor, wine is the brand of a higher lifestyle," he said. "For a celebrity, the cost of entry is also very low. It's very easy for a Larry Bird, Mariah Carey or Madonna to say, 'I like drinking it,' and they have instant credibility for millions of people."

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario said that wines endorsed by Wayne Gretzky will sell 18,000 cases (or $2.7 million) over the next 12 months, and wines endorsed by Dan Aykroyd over 11,000 cases ($1.7 million). Both were among the top-10 bestselling wines of 2007.

Spokesman Chris Layton said all new celebrity wines have been selling well and significantly better than new, non-celebrity brands.

Other celebrity wines are endorsed by: Mike Weir, Tommy Lasorda, Bob Dylan, Mariah Carey, Lorraine Bracco, Larry Bird, Fess Parker, Frances Ford Coppola, Barbra Streisand, Sting, Paris Hilton and Mario Andretti.

As well, there's Marilyn Merlot and Jailhouse Red - among the better-known and widely consumed Marilyn and Elvis selections.

Ex Nihilo Vineyards will also be launching their own premium Ex Nihilo red and white wine brands this spring. For more information, go to www.rollingstonesicewine.com or www.celebritycellarscanada.com.