I’ve always had a curiosity about the wine industry, and having a mom who has a strong knowledge of wine has helped fuel this intrigue. However, the diversity of the category always has intimidated me.

My mom recently told me about the yearly Beajolias Nouveau wines. The first batch of red wines from the first batch of grapes of the year, these wines are celebrated in France and even gained some popularity in the United States during the 1990s, she says. However, the excitement for the varietal in the United States lacks the same luster. After researching and discussing, I’ve begun to wonder whether there might be a barrier that Americans relate to wines, making them less accessible than other categories.

One night while watching “@Midnight with Chris Hardwick,” the comedians discussed Guy Fieri’s launch of new varietals in his Hunt & Ryder wine line. The comedy gameshow takes news from social media networks and asks comedians to make jokes on the spot, and although I found their antics amusing, the news was more enticing.

A quick online search and I found an article GQ magazine recently published about the celebrity chef and his wines. It discusses Fieri’s venture and the quiet launch of three new varietals this past fall. The article describes some of the challenges Fieri faced within the wine community. But I wonder whether the growing number of fans of food TV will give the line, and category, potential.

A few months ago, Beverage Industry conducted an exclusive interview with celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck about his new line of Puck Wines. Celebrity status can intrigue consumers, so I wonder whether these celebrity wine lines have potential to break the barriers and broaden the appeal of wine to new consumers.