Roger Daltrey Makes Foray Into Champagne

You’ve probably heard the expression “party like a rock star” utilized ad nauseum over the last few years. But in order to emulate a select group of famous musicians who got their start in the 1960s, partying like a rock star might well involve sipping expensive Champagne. You may well have heard of Carlos Santana’s Santana DVX — which inspired one of The Lonely Island’s best songs.

Now, Carlos Santana isn’t the only storied rock star with a Champagne named after him. Enter Champagne Cuvée Roger Daltrey.

With bottle art that evokes The Who’s classic album Tommy, this champagne was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the band. Bottles don’t come cheap — £95.00, in fact (or around $125.00 if you’re paying in dollars) — but a portion of the proceeds go to Teen Cancer America, a nonprofit that works with teenagers and young adults with cancer. There’s also a version with a pair of The Who-themed glasses that can be yours for £125.00 (or approximately $165.00).

If you’re feeling particularly extravagant, the same company handling the champagne also created a Roger Daltrey-themed ice bucket, which costs a bit more: £650.00 (or around $850.00 for the Americans in the room).

Daltrey isn’t the only member of The Who to engage in high-profile extracurricular activities lately. His bandmate Pete Townshend’s novel, The Age of Anxiety, was published last month. In a recent interview with Townshend at The New York Times Magazine, the subject of the stage musical adaptation of Tommy came up; it’ll be returning to Broadway in 2021.

As for Daltrey’s champagne, Lucy Britner at Just Drinks has more details. “The liquid is produced by Charles Orban Champagne – a family vineyard located in the village of Troissy on the left bank of the Marne,” she writes. If this review of another Charles Orban offering is any indication, this is a vineyard that’s doing good work; according to this profile, they’ve been at their craft since 1770.

As for the wine itself, the official description offers the following tasting notes: “A delicate nose dominated by citrus fruit, with hints of fudge. Superb length, smooth with brioche aromas and subtle notes of honey, pine nuts and light tobacco.” If these turn out to be inaccurate, expect a deluge of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” puns to be angrily made by irate champagne drinkers. But based on the vineyard’s track record, and the fact that some celebrity spirit brands are actually pretty good, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

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