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A French national treasure â?? wines from the presidential cellar â?? is to be put up for sale. Over a thousand bottles are expected to fetch up to $330,000. Proceeds will be reinvested in â??more modest winesâ?? and the excess returned to the state budget. According to auctioneers Drouot, the wines represent a tenth ofthe presidential cellar, which boasts an impressive collection of12,000 bottles. Their estimated value spans from $20 to $2,800 fortop lots like the sought-after Petrus 1990. Unlike his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, socialist FrançoisHollande has chosen to promote himself as â??Mr. Normalâ??, modestlycutting down the presidential fleet of cars as well as ministerialsalaries. It's hard to put a number on celebrity wines, a category that includes singers, sports stars, chefs and more. But Danny Brager, vice president for alcoholic beverages at market research firm Nielsen, says there's close to 100 on the market at the moment. "It keeps growing all the time," he said. Fancy having Brangelina, Drew Barrymore and Dan Aykroyd over for dinner? No problem, they'll even bring the wine. OK, maybe the stars themselves won't show up, but their wines will appear with just a wave of a credit card. You might start with an aperitif of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new Miraval rose, move on to a light pasta dish served with Barrymore Wine's pinot grigio , then perhaps finish up with a glass of Aykroyd's cabernet franc ice wine for dessert. Fancy having Brangelina, Drew Barrymore and Dan Aykroyd over for dinner? No problem, they'll even bring the wine. Late Harvest Chenin Blanc (dessert Wine) India OK, maybe the stars themselves won't show up, but their wines will appear with just a wave of a credit card. You might start with an aperitif of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new Miraval rose, move on to a light pasta dish served with Barrymore Wine's pinot grigio, then perhaps finish up with a glass of Aykroyd's cabernet franc ice wine for dessert.It's hard to put a number on celebrity wines, a category that includes singers, sports stars, chefs and more. But Danny Brager, vice president for alcoholic beverages at market research firm Nielsen, says there's close to 100 on the market at the moment. "It keeps growing all the time," he said. Fancy having Brangelina, Drew Barrymore and Dan Aykroyd over for dinner? No problem, they'll even bring the wine. OK, maybe the stars themselves won't show up, but their wines will appear with just a wave of a credit card. You might start with an aperitif of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new Miraval rose, move on to a light pasta dish served with Barrymore Wine's pinot grigio, then perhaps finish up with a glass of Aykroyd's cabernet franc ice wine for dessert. Late Harvest Chenin Blanc (dessert Wine) India It's hard to put a number on celebrity wines, a category that includes singers, sports stars, chefs and more. But Danny Brager, vice president for alcoholic beverages at market research firm Nielsen, says there's close to 100 on the market at the moment. "It keeps growing all the time," he said.When John and I left The Wall Street Journal in 2009 after almost 12 years of writing our wine column, Tastings, we ended a marvelous run of working together: 32 years under the same roofs. During that time, we’d had a lot of lunches together in newspaper cafeterias or nearby, and like most married couples, dinner. Our brief retirement was wonderful and strange. Intense coupledom. One cherished custom was our ritual observations of sunsets, icy martinis in hand, from the deck of our country cabin. Then it ended. John succumbed to the siren song of another newsroom—solo. It was the right decision for him, another chance to engage in his life-long obsession—news, not wine –with a growing, not contracting, media company. And so it was not long ago that he and some new colleagues went to dinner at a marvelous Greek restaurant with an impressive selection of Greek wines. Although I never skimp when eating alone, I have no recollection of what I had that night, no memory at all of the wine. When you have the habit of sharing, some experiences don’t register when your partner’s not there to absorb them and discuss them and reflect upon them with you. Late Harvest Chenin Blanc (dessert Wine) India
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