Pop star Sir Cliff Richard is trying his hand at another skill – winemaking. The British icon, who planted a vineyard at his holiday estate in southern Portugal five years ago, will put the first of 27,000 bottles of his red wine, Vida Nova or “new life” in Portugese, on UK store shelves at the end of this month.
Sir Cliff, who enlisted the help of wine specialist David Baverstock for production, bought the nine-acre farm with aims to create a quiet country retreat nearly a decade ago. After learning that grapes had been cultivated on the estate years before, he decided to produce a vinho of his own.
His new wine project seems to go well with his music career, as just a few days before presenting his Vida Nova, he performed at Buckingham place at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee pop concert. And aged 61, he’s still a favourite on stage – and in the hearts of fans, as our recent “Favourite Eurovision Act” poll results show. Sir Cliff scampered off with the title, receiving a whopping 55 per cent of the votes.
His closest rival for the top spot were Swedish favourites Abba, who were chosen by one-fifth of HELLO! readers. Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion was a very distant third, with about 8 per cent, while fourth and fifth place went to Lulu and Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, respectively.
Aussie Olivia Newton John – who presented her own wine, Koala Blue, last month – rounded out the list, followed closely by Bucks Fizz and the group behind the classic Eighties hit Walking On Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves.