"Celebrity wines" are big business. Golfer Greg Norman has a line of Aussie Shiraz, and race car legend Mario Andretti lends his name to some premium Napa Valley juice. Recently, Dan Akroyd and Wayne Gretzky have signed on to be the public face (and wallets) of two wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario.
I can't vouch for the quality of most of these name-brand wines, but Nick Faldo, another golfing great, offers a beautiful 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($14) from the Coonawarra region of Australia, a land not known for this grape. This wine features citrus and tropical flavors (grapefruit and mango) with a long, exciting finish that lingers like a 50-foot birdie putt hanging tantalizingly on the rim of the cup before dropping.
Nick Faldo Sauvignon Blanc is not yet available in many local retail stores. Stores can order the wine from Republic National Distributing Co., the distributor for the DC/MD/VA market, at 202-388-8400.
