Ali Campbell spent his adolescence harvesting grapes in Bordeaux and had always longed to launch a UB40 wine with fellow founding member and wine enthusiast, Astro.
Eminent Life – which celebrates excellence in music and the arts with bespoke, quality drinks – helped the chart-topping bandmates realise their lifelong dream by taking them back to a private chateau in Bordeaux, where Campbell’s wine journey first started, and researching, designing and crafting their own, limited edition wines – a Red, Red Wine Bordeaux Supérieur at £28.50 and the forthcoming, vegan and organic Red Red Wine at the more affordable £24.50 price point.
The Bordeaux Supérieur wine is produced from a subtle blend of classic Right Bank grapes, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which are aged in small oak barrels for eight months. It is a deep, red colour with blackberry notes, enriched with ripe tannins, with a long and elegant finish and can be cellared for up to 15 years.
The wine has already won the approval of the world’s biggest wine periodical, Wine Enthusiast, which wrote: “Here’s a good blend: a rich wine with fine tannins and attractive fruits.“ The new, organic and vegan wine has already been awarded the Gold Medal at Concours Challenge Millesime Bio 2020. Itis produced from Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes, matured over 12 months.
The ripe, intensely fruit-driven nose is emphasised by sweet red cherry and juicy plum. On the palate, it’s a fresh, velvety expression of ripe fruit, which softens with well integrated tannins.Campbell said: “We have always wanted to release our own red red wine and we’re very excited to finally be doing this.” Astro added: “We enjoyed the softer, richer Merlot, topped off with the leafy Cabernet and a smidgeon of vanilla oak. Red, Red wine has great balance and is really satisfying to drink.“Like our music we are always looking for balance and harmony.
The Red Red Wine has both.”The band has sold more than 70 million records worldwide and is currently working on a new album, to be released early next year on Universal Music. After the enforced hiatus due to the pandemic, they are excited to start playing again to huge audiences all around the world this summer, with a host of outdoor concerts and festivals, before embarking on a new arena tour in February 2022. For all the latest show information, please visit UB40.org.
Jerome Jacober, founder of Eminent Life commented: “I am delighted with the exceptional partnership between Eminent Life and UB40. It has been a pleasure and honour to work with Ali and Astro and we look forward to launching this organic, vegan red wine, which is so befitting of the great track ‘Red Red Wine.”
UB40 Organic Red Red Wine will launch on 11 May for £24.50 a bottle alongside Red Red Wine Bordeaux Supérieur, which is available worldwide at www.eminent-life.com for £28.50 a bottle.