Apart from their obvious celebrity, what do Cliff Richard, Ken Hom, Ernie Els, Mick Hucknall, Nick Faldo, Gerard Depardieu, Francis Ford Coppola, Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Sam Neill, Greg Norman and Paul Burrell all have in common?

Given the nature of this column, it probably doesn't take much sleuthing to work out that wine is the shared connection.

But it's not just drinking it that is the link. Instead, all the above are to a greater or lesser extent involved in making or marketing it.

For instance, some like Sir Cliff, Depardieu, Coppola and Neill own vineyards. Others, like Burrell, Faldo and Norman, lend their names to a range of wine labels.

Unfortunately, though, some of these wines do leave a slightly nasty taste in my mouth, particularly those which are simply jumping on the celebrity bandwagon.

In the US, for instance, Paul Burrell has just launched a range called Royal Butler Wines. Apparently, they are queuing around the block in Florida to get hold of them.

Further proof of the power of celebrity to sell wine occurred a few years ago when Sir Cliff Richard launched his Vida Nova range, made by the highly respected winemaker David Baverstock. It also flew off the supermarket shelves in record time, selling out faster than the latest Harry Potter.

Mind you, branching into wine hasn't all been plain sailing for pop's Peter Pan. Indeed, there was a notable occasion on Gordon Ramsay's F Word TV show last year which Sir Cliff would probably prefer to forget.

During the programme, Ramsay gave Richard two wines to taste blind and then asked him to comment on them.

Sir Cliff said that the first (costing £400) was amazing. He then went on to slag off the second as rubbish. "I wouldn't pay for that. It's insipid. It tastes like vinaigrette," he added. Of course, he had just described his own wine.

However, not all celebrity vintners would be caught out like this. For instance, Francis Ford Coppola, Gerard Depardieu and Sam Neill appear to be much more passionate and knowledgeable about their own liquid assets.

I recently met and interviewed Depardieu at a tasting in London where he was showcasing a number of his wines, in conjunction with his business partner, Bernard Magrez. The pair own seven different vineyards in France, Spain and Morocco.

In fact, Depardieu has been producing serious wine for almost 20 years, having begun with his Chateau de Tigne in the Loire Valley. For him, making great wine is much more than a lifestyle decision or commercial opportunity.

"Wine is in my blood. When you drink a great wine, it stops you in your tracks," he said.

All his vineyards are hand-picked - "I have a strong recognition of their terroir and respect the need to grow local grapes. I'm not going to plant Merlot in the Rhone Valley."

Today, Depardieu's love of wine and food has surpassed his passion for acting and the cinema, both of which now seem to bore him. Nevertheless, his previous career certainly sprinkles a bit of stardust on his more recent ventures.

As for his wines, I was very taken with his Priorat and a couple of clarets, which were ripe and fleshy, and a pleasure to drink.

Ultimately, of course, it shouldn't matter who owns, makes or markets the wine we drink. Instead, all that should really concern us is how good it is and whether it is worth the money being asked for it.

However, in our celebrity-obsessed culture, that is as likely as Gordon Ramsay uttering an expletive-free sentence.

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