When Dr. Strangebrand isn’t tracking down weird brand extensions, he considers himself something of a gourmand. There’s nothing like a fine wine perfectly paired with a decadent meal. Occasionally, these outside interests intersect with my professional pursuits, and I become quite beside myself with happiness.

In the case of this post, we will explore hard rockers moving into the wine world, a rather intriguing development. Many classic icons of rock and roll, once associated with downing bottles of liquor, are now releasing their own wine vintages. It seems as if these aging metal gods have ditched the hard stuff and reached for the carafe.

In case you’re thinking this is a one-off fad, let’s take a look at some of the A-list hard rockers who’ve lent their names to wines: KISS, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, AC/DC, Warrant, RATT and Whitesnake. Wisely, these vintages play directly to each band’s fan base. Iron Maiden describes the fourth vintage of Eddie’s Evil Brew (Eddie is the band’s famous mascot) as “a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon … an eternally fearsome blood red wine with plenty of bodies.” Motörhead produces a “rockin’ Shiraz” and AC/DC named its wines after the band’s monster hit songs.

Even Rolling Stone Magazine, which Dr. Strangebrand considers the authority on rock music, recently launched the Rolling Stone Wine Club. It’s powered by Wines That Rock and features an assortment of bands and wines such as: Grateful Dead Red Wine Blend, The Rolling Stones Merlot, and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Cabernet.

While at first glance this business endeavor might seem as pointless as smashing a perfectly good guitar on stage, these head bangers are actually wielding some serious strategy. They’re using one of Parham Santana’s 10 Ways to Extend Your Brand: Leverage Customer Base. Just as the musicians are getting older, so are their fans!

Die-hard fans who have a strong attachment, and in some cases worship, these bands are looking for products that speak to them. Some of these groupies purchase the wines as collectables, and you can find shrewd fans hoarding each vintage of Eddie’s Evil Brew and reselling them on sites like eBay. Other aging head bangers simple need something to enjoy with dinner. As one AC/DC fan exclaimed, “Finally! A wine I can order with my lady and not surrender my balls!”

Even Dr. Strangebrand finds himself intrigued by these new vintages, though he might not listen to the corresponding hard rock band while drinking these wines. I have my limits. For those of us who aren’t hard rockers, there are plenty of other celebrities extending into the wine world. Do you have a favorite celebrity wine? If you’re a head banger, would you drink your favorite band’s wine at a concert?

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The Dr. Strangebrand Files: KISS and Star Trek Caskets for Die-hard Fans