Are celebrity wines worth the price?

(Bites) - There is one overriding reason people will consider buying the new white wine with the big “B” on the label, and it can be summed up by the name above it: Barrymore. Drew Barrymore has gone into the wine business, and her first release is not from California, where so many Hollywood and other celebrities have dabbled in wine, but from Italy. While the marketing notes declare that “the discovery of new wines, new regions and new vintages is what keeps wine exciting to novices and enthusiasts alike,” Barrymore has turned to the familiar: She has given us another pinot grigio. And while her motto is “from our family to yours,” don’t be misled. The actress may have put her name and her family crest on the label, but the wine is made by Decordi, a large winery in Lombardy in northern Italy. They have produced a wine that is good, if not great -- a solid “B,” so to speak -- which may nonetheless be good enough for many starstruck Americans lured by the Barrymore name and willing to pay a premium for it (the $20 suggested price is higher than many pinot grigios on the market).

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