From the Locker Room to the Vineyard: Former Athletes Making Their Mark in the Wine Industry
Leaving the adrenaline-fueled professional sports world to pursue the tranquil art of winemaking may seem like a monumental leap. Yet, a growing number of top-tier athletes are turning to winemaking when they retire from their chosen sport. Elite-level athletes are no strangers to endorsement deals, but some take matters to the next level, turning their attention to winemaking as they continue their pursuit of excellence.
The following trio of former sports stars are not only revered by their fans and supporters but have produced some excellent signature wines that have earned them accolades from wine connoisseurs.
Yao Ming is a giant, standing 7 ft 6 in tall and weighing 310 pounds. Unsurprisingly, he was a basketball player who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons and represented China at three Summer Olympic Games. According to Sportrac, Ming earned over $93 million in wages during his career with the Houston Rockets, and he has invested vast sums of that fortune into Yao Family Wines based in Napa Valley.
Ming’s entry into the wine business is notable for its focus on bridging cultures. He markets his wines in China and the United States, strongly emphasizing quality and cultural exchange. Ming is one of China’s most famous athletes, and he uses his fame to promote wine appreciation in his native China, which has a growing market for fine wines.
The vineyard’s flagship offering is the Yao Ming Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring an alluring aroma of blackberry, blueberry, and plum, with notes of violet, vanilla, and toasted oak. The silky and full-bodied wine has secondary notes of licorice and dark chocolate, while its tannins are smooth and refined.
Joe Montana is a National Football League (NFL) legend. He is best known for being the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for 13 seasons, during which time he reached the coveted Super Bowl four times and won on each occasion.
Montana played throughout the 1990s when American football stars earned large salaries but nowhere near the sums modern-day players enjoy. Montana earned approximately $25.5 million during his career and now has a net worth of $150 million.
Football aside, wine is Montana’s other passion. In 2019, he put his 500-acre-plus estate up for sale for $49 million. The property boasted a climate-controlled wine cellar and tasting room, where the four-time Super Bowl champion undoubtedly sampled some Montagia Cabernet Sauvignon he and Beringer winemaker Ed Sbragia made together.
The wine, which retails for around $150 per bottle, has a rich bouquet of blackberry, blackcurrant, and dark cherry, with the oak aging providing a touch of vanilla. Tasters comment on the wine’s full body and velvety tannins, which provide a layered complexity. Notes of cocoa and a hint of spice help balance the fruit-forward flavors, leading to a long and elegant finish.
Like Joe Montana mentioned above, Drew Bledsoe is a former NFL quarterback who spent nine successful years with the New England Patriots, winning the Super Bowl once. He spent three seasons with the Buffalo Bills before ending his professional football career with the Dallas Cowboys.
Shortly after retiring in 2007, Bledsoe founded Doubleback Winery with his close friend Chris Figgins. Figgins left the business in 2014, handing it over to his protege Josh McDaniels, and Bledsoe and McDaniels have been business partners ever since.
Bledsoe settled on the Doubleback name after he decided to double back to his hometown of Walla Walla in Washington. The vineyard mainly uses Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, although Bledsoe and McDaniels bought an 80-acre Pinot Noir estate in Oregon in September 2021.
The winery’s signature wine is the Douleback Cabernet Sauvignon, a high-quality and age-worth red. A bottle of the 2014 vintage will dent your wallet to the tune of $150 or so. The Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its aromatic profile with layers of cassis, dark chocolate, and sweet tobacco accompanying it. Those with expert palettes will detect herbal notes such as sage and thyme.
It is a structured and concentrated wine with dark fruit, anise, and black olive flavors, but it also has balance and depth. This wine has proven popular over time, with Wine Spectator placing it 53rd overall in its Top 100 wines of 2010.
The transition from sports to winemaking was a natural progression for these three former athletes, enabling them to continue their journey of excellence and perfection. All three athletes were stars in their respective sports, and you do not become a star without a deep understanding of timing, precision, and teamwork, three crucial attributes that transfer into winemaking.
Whether picking grapes at the perfect moment of ripeness or blending varietals to achieve the ideal balance, the skills athletes learn on the field can ultimately translate to the vineyard.
In addition, the fact the three sportsmen in this article are immensely famous means they can use their fame to reach new audiences, including sports fans who would not ordinarily be interested in wine or whose experience with wine is limited to mass-produced varieties. Some sports fans may incorrectly think the world of fine wines is pretentious, so having a figure they can relate to and who they admire producing these wines can add to their appeal, broadening the drinker’s horizons.
More former athletes will likely explore careers in winemaking once their playing days end. Winemaking has the allure of creating something lasting that leaves an impression on people, and it is filled with challenges and potential pitfalls not too dissimilar from the realm of professional sports.
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