Blur bassist Alex James has launched his own brand of ‘Britpop’ sparkling wine.
The musician and professional cheesemaker announced the news of his latest venture on social media yesterday (August 2) – sharing a clip of himself on Twitter (X), showcasing the finished product.
“Britpop sparkling wine. Perfect for the good times,” James began in the clip. “Great at lunchtime, great at dinner time, great at breakfast time.
“Great at the Great British summertime,” he added, jokingly referencing the grey skies and rain in the background.”
The bassist continued: “Lovely straight-up or you can try pouring it over ice if it’s sunny… ‘en piscine’ as they say in France (in the swimming pool). I’ll drink to that. Cheers.”
The sparkling wine – labelled as ‘Britpop Brut by Alex James’ – is available on August 12 exclusively to Laithwaites, and is priced at £25 per bottle. It is also listed as a dry, chardonnay-based blend made in the UK.
The new wine also joins another launch as part of James’ ‘Britpop’ range, as individual bottles of his own cider are also available on the website – made in the UK and available for £1.65 per bottle. Find out more about the range here.
Britpop English sparkling wine available from @laithwaites. @furleighwine #britpop #sparklingwine pic.twitter.com/oGnc76k0hi
— Alex James (@alexjameshq) August 2, 2023
The ‘Britpop’ project appears to have been in the works for nearly a decade, as back in 2014 it was reported by NME that the musician had applied to use the name in relation to a new drink.
City AM claimed that the Blur member applied for the trademark in October 2013, and Buzzfeed also stated that the application covered “beverages enriched with added minerals” and “low alcohol beer” as well as “alcopops”. It is not yet clear if James has plans to further expand the range.
This is far from the first time that James has ventured into the food and beverage industry. As well as his fame as part of Blur, he has also gone on to establish himself as a professional cheesemaker and launch various cheeses of his own, including Blue Monday, Figgy Pudding and Farleigh Wallop.
Last month, it was announced that James would be now selling his award-winning Blue Monday cheese exclusively at Morrisons.
Named after his favourite song, the cheese is made in partnership with Yorkshire-based artisan cheese producers Shepherds Purse and will be available in more than 200 of the supermarket’s stores nationwide for £3 per 100g.
Alex James of Blur performs on stage at Ziggo Dome on June 27, 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. CREDIT: Dimitri Hakke/Getty Images
Originally, his range of cheeses was sold in Asda, however, back in 2012, the UK supermarket decided to stop stocking six of his cheeses, describing the flavours as being too “ahead of their time”.
Morrisons, however, has described its flavours as “complex, creating a creamy soft cheese with bold cracks and streaks of blue which echo its namesake”. Speaking of the product, James said: “Blue Monday is a world-beating British cheese, made with love by the wonderful team at Shepherds Purse.
“It pairs brilliantly with sparkling wine, beer or cider. Smush it on a Frazzle for the ultimate canapé. It goes well with pears, beetroot, cobnuts and even honey and is perfect for sweet dreams at bedtime.”
In other news, James recently claimed that he found returning to Blur a lot more “relaxing” than parenting.
This follows his recent time back with the Britpop band, where the 54-year-old musician has played countless shows across the UK and Europe – including two mammoth dates at Wembley Stadium – and released his ninth studio album with Blur, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’.
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