In May of 2016, The Who’s Roger Daltrey created his own Champagne, to launch 50 years of the band. That was one to pop a cork over, right? This wine was made in collaboration with Charles Orban, in celebration of “The Who Hits 50!” tour. ” Called Cuvée Roger Daltrey, it was produced by Champagne Charles Orban. Roger wanted to do something special for their fans, and is there any better way to celebrate that milestone, than with a bottle of bubbly?  From ThedrinksBusiness.com: “Daltrey said in a statement. ‘I took my inspiration for the bottle from the Tommy album cover which is a favorite of mine … the album that cemented our legacy. I can’t wait for everyone to try it.'”

Proceeds from sales of Champagne Cuvée Roger Daltrey ($128/bottle are still available at Eminent-Life.com. The proceeds are meant to benefit Teen Cancer America.This organization was co-founded by Daltrey and Pete Townshend.

Roger Earl, Foghat’s drummer, is making Santa Maria Valley wines, under his own name of Foghat Cellars. Right now the site has all older vintages. I’m left to wondering if  if this was just a one hit wonder, like so many others I’ve seen in this career. It’s only Rock and Roll, but do “I like it”? When one is a star in a primary career, and they enter the wine business, it’s assumed that this is going to be an overnight sensation, via family, friends, and fans as in the case of Rock in roll. This hasn’t been the case for rock and rollers, though. Wine is a separate audience, and that one needs just as much promotion.

On the Website, he’s got a Cab, a  Pinot Noir, and a Chardonnay. Rocker knows how to rock, but when they roll into the wine business, it’s a completely different animal, as I learned when I segued from Rock radio into the wine biz, too. Stage presence isn’t something that farmers easily grasp. (Just try being their publicist, and convincing them they need to come into the spotlight.) This was a collaboration between the Roger and Linda Earl and former Talley Vineyards winemaker Steve Rasmussen. This all came together in 2007, when Steve was inspired after seeing Foghat perform at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles. when he approached the Earls about having a Foghat wine, the Earls decided to go for it and work with Steve Rasmussen to create Foghat Cellars’ first vintage, first bottled in 2008.

When I first came to wine country in 1992, I was a freak. Just coming out of rock and roll radio, that was the only PR I knew; and yet, I wanted to segue into wine PR. In my early wine PR career, I actually had the audacity to call a Napa Valley wine writer icon. I got a recording, so I left a message. I promptly had an assistant return my call, to tell me that I must never call this person again.. Today, I’m very familiar with both kinds of PR (radio and wine). I also knew back then what is finally coming around today, as evidenced by Wine Enthusiast’s releasing a magazine, with a focus on… you guessed it… The Music Issue. Tag line Welcome to our celebration of one of life’s best pairings. Yeah! I’m so pleased to see that my years of promoting this genre has finally come to national attention fruition.

Things I’ve promoted, including this image I created with a guitar inside of a bottle, have been a blast. I did a copyright on this image, because I’ve seen many of my epiphanies get taken as their own by others. This one, I wanted to preserve; because, some things just have to belong to the owner of the concept, (copy)right?

• My first Rock and Roll story in 2008 ~ From Woodstock to Wine Stock ~ These Wines Rock
• Scoring the Scores, April 9, 2010 ~ PS at Hess Collection with Alacia Van’s Jazz
• One of my eight updates (Sometimes the titles are just too much fun) ~ Beyond the Doobies ~ Making Their Own Wine

Rock n’ Roll Timeline I’ve created since I first launched the concept on June 30, 2008 :

• Kermit Lynch (1972) ~ Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
• Robert Foley (1977) ~ Robert Foley Vineyards
• Olivia Newton-John (1983) ~ Koala Blue Winery
• Doobie Brothers manager Bruce Cohn (1984) ~ B.R. Cohn Winery
• Boz Scaggs (1997) ~ Scaggs Vineyard
• Mick Hucknall of Simply Red (2001) Mick (of the British pop group) has a winery in Sicily, where he produces a Nero d’Avola called Il Cantante (“the singer”)
• Mick Fleetwood (2002) ~ Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar
• Bob Dylan (2002) ~ Planet Waveswine
• Andy Hill (2002) ~ English sparkling wine Nyetimber, owned by songwriter Hill, who wrote all the hits for Bucks Fizz
• Sir Cliff Richard (2004): Quinta do Moinho, a vineyard in Portugal, Vida Nova and Wells Wines. Richard has owned his land for over 40 years.
• Jerry Garcia (2005) ~ J. Garcia wines by Clos du Bois
• Mötley Crüe (2005) ~ Vince Vineyards (Can’t find any updates of Website. Was it a one hit wonder?)
• Madonna (2005) ~ A joint owner of the Ciccone Vineyard and Winery in Michigan
• Dave Pack of Ambrosia (2005) ~ “Vintage 2005 Napa Valley Friend’s Blend.” (Not for sale; for family and friends, per Mike Nordskog, Wine & Jazz magazine)
• Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle (2006) ~ He has Caduceus Cellars, Merkin Vineyards and Arizona Stronghold Vineyards and the associated winery, Caduceus Cellars. According to a fan, he’s full on into wine, adjusting his band’s touring schedule around harvesting and anything else he needs to do at his winery.
• Fergie of Black Eyed Peas (2006 ) ~ Ferguson Crest Wines
• Dan Aykroyd of Blues Brothers fame (2007) ~In 2007, it was announced that the Dan Aykroyd Winery would be built someday, on the property that Birchwood Estates Wines.
• Sting (Approx. 2007) ~ Vineyard in Tuscany. He makes a Chianti called Il Serrestori, and began making wines just for friends and family. By 2009, he was selling his 2007 vintage.
• Les Claypool of Primus (2007) ~ His business card simply reads, “Les.” He sings his heart out, and is now also making great wine under the Claypool Cellars label. His Website claims: Fancy Booze for semi-fancy folks. Les immediately told me, “Life’s too short, you gotta have fun!” This is what I love about rockers… and miss… They live so large and love so hard. Wine happens because it’s there. It’s not the be all to end all, and it’s not for pretension; it’s just to enjoy life a bit more.
• Eric Turner of Warrant (2007) ~ Cherry Pie Red, Napa Valley
• Jackson Brown (2008) ~ In 2008, Jackson Brown publicly contemplated turning his Hollister Ranch home in Santa Barbara, California into a vineyard.
• Queensrÿche front man Geoff Tate ( 2008) ~ Queensrÿche has teamed up with Three Rivers Winery to create a new red wine signature blend called Geoff Tate “Insania.”
• Foghat’s Roger Earl (2008) – Foghat Cellars
• Motörhead (2010) ~ Motörheadwine
• Whitesnake (2010) ~ Whitesnake Zinfandel
• Train (2011) ~ Drops of Jupiter
• Paul Cullen (2011) ~ Bad Company ~ Sonata
• AC/DC (2011) ~ AC/DC Wines (Available through Dan Murphy, Woolworth’s, and BWS liquor stores throughout Australia
• Digital Summer (2013) ~ Paul Hoffman and Victim Entertainment (V.E.) have announced a promotional partnership between national recording artist Digital Summer, and the emerging wine brand Headbanger.
• DEVO’s Gerald Casale (2015) ~ launched a wine brand: THE 50 BY 50.
• The Who’s Roger Daltry (2016) – Champagne Charles Orban