PARIS - Australian singer Kylie Minogue says “nothing compares” to performing live, but becoming an international wine magnate in under six years has been quite a thrill for the Spinning Around (2000) star.

Minogue, 57, launched her first own-label wine in 2020 in partnership with celebrity drinks expert Paul Schaafsma, starting with a basic rose but quickly expanding to include sparkling, no-alcohol and premium rose offerings.

The actress-singer has since wracked up sales of around 25 million bottles, with her carefully branded products pitched at low- to mid-range prices in dozens of countries. Britain, Australia and the United States are the biggest markets.

“Nothing compares to performing because that, in the moment, is like the summation of what I do,” Minogue told AFP in Paris when asked if the joy of her wine venture compared to the buzz of stepping out on stage. “But there are definitely parallels.”

In Britain, wine sales data regularly show her rose, prosecco and no-alcohol sparkling among the best-sellers in their categories – uncorking a major new revenue stream for the performer-entrepreneur.

Not bad for someone who confessed last week at the Wine Paris trade show that she knew very little about the industry when she started out.

“I entered the space really genuinely, hand ups, ‘I don’t know anything about anything, every step is a baby step’,” Minogue told a promotional event on Feb 9.

“And now I find myself with the terminology and the lingo and the understanding, and I’m like, ‘who am I? How did this happen?‘“ she joked.

Minogue cut an incongruous sight at the fair – the princess of pop with 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, mixing with wine merchants and aristocratic vineyard owners.

She stayed for two days, holding meetings in a backroom of her stand, which was decked out with flowers and ribbons in the brand’s pale pink colour.