Wine and football. Doesn’t seem like a classic match. Nothing like hot dogs and baseball. But somehow the two got together and are now inseparable. These days, an N.F.L. player can’t think of himself as a superstar unless he possesses a cellar filled with wine that he helped produce.
Sure, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has Taylor Swift as his girlfriend, but can he be certain that the relationship will outlast a well-stored bottle of John Elway’s excellent 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon?
The wine-and-football relationship is primarily a 21st-century phenomenon. It’s difficult to ascertain who exactly is responsible for starting the trend, but one of the early wine aficionados was John Kent Cooke, former owner of the Washington Redskins. He planted vines in Virginia in 2004. Even earlier still was Dick Vermeil, who won Super Bowl XXXIV as coach of the St. Louis Rams, a team famously known as “the Greatest Show on Turf.” Vermeil bottled his first wine in 1999, in effect transporting the N.F.L. wine game to the West Coast, where it flourishes to this day.
I set out to critique wine produced by N.F.L. players and executives, not a simple task, since most of their wines are sold through mail order, by visiting wineries, or through wine clubs. You might have difficulty finding them in your local liquor store. I was able to collect 14 bottles, all delivered to my door.
Viticulture in the N.F.L. is a quarterback-dominated industry, but among the pioneers are three linemen who played together on the Green Bay Packers: Tony Moll, Daryn Colledge, and Jason Spitz, who named their wine Three Fat Guys. (Their combined weight during playing days exceeded 1,000 pounds.) Inasmuch as offensive linemen are too often ignored, I began my tasting with their wines.
Three Fat Guys
An atypical Pinot Noir from 2021—rich, powerful, and at the same time quite delicious. You’ll know you’re not in Burgundy when you drink this pumped-up Pinot. Actually, you might guess that just by looking at the wine in a glass; it’s that dark and dense. A soft, lovely bouquet.
And if you think the three fat guys weighed a lot, try lifting a bottle of their Cabernet. Possibly the heaviest in history. (I’m thinking of using the empty bottle as a doorstop.) First wine I ever thought glistened like a black opal. Dark, brooding fruit. Plummy, intense bouquet. This 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon spent almost two years in French oak and didn’t waste a minute of that time. Thankfully, the wine is silky smooth, which disguises its heft.
Perfect Season
Classy in name and in the glass. If you are a fan of California Cabernet, you will love this 2021 wine. Velvety. Silky. Balanced. A big but gentle wine that doesn’t slap you in the face. Credit the late Lamar Hunt—the founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs—and his late wife, Norma, who purchased a ranch along the banks of Bidwell Creek in Sonoma County back in 2000, and began restoration of the site that would become Bidwell Creek Estate, where this exceptional wine is produced.
7Cellars Wine Club
A variety of membership options—Champions Club, MVP Club, Hall of Fame Club—are available through which to buy the wine of John Elway, the former quarterback of the Denver Broncos, two-time Super Bowl Champion, and master of last-minute, game-winning drives. The more wine you order, the more prestigious your club rating and the bigger your discount. Tasted two bottlings: Elway’s 2022 Reserve Carneros Chardonnay and Elway’s 2020 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, both produced by One Hope Winery. The nose announced the Chardonnay as big, rich, and New World, yet I found it more restrained than most California Chardonnays. An exceptional value at about $36. The Cabernet possessed purity of fruit, nice balance, and enough pizzazz to stand up to food. Admirable wines.
Barefoot
Not clear what’s barefoot about the wines, but quite a bit of bare skin appears on the Web-site babes quaffing Barefoot wine. Calls itself “the official wine sponsor of the NFL.” Tasted three Barefoot wines, all remarkably inexpensive, none with vintage dates. The Sauvignon Blanc, strictly a pre-game quaff, offers easy drinking and is best for those uninterested in serious beverage contemplation. The Pinot Grigio, which boasts of being the preferred wine of Donna Kelce, mother to the Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce, offers a hint of sweetness and more complexity but isn’t a better wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t terrible, but that’s the best that can be said about it. The least appealing wine of the tasting.
Boxwood Winery
The 2020 Boxwood Reserve Red, produced at John Kent Cooke’s Virginia winery, is a red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s medium-bodied, with spicy notes and a light finish. Not a big wine. Simple and well made.
Vince Ferragamo Vineyards
If you believe a Super Tuscan can originate in Orange County, California, you will probably like their Caressa J. Super Tuscan. “Super Tuscan,” a designation I’ve previously seen only on Italian wines, is how it’s portrayed on the label. The grapes come from the Vince Ferragamo Vineyards, owned by the former Los Angeles Rams quarterback, and the wine is predominantly Sangiovese. Ferragamo started in Super Bowl XIV, which made him the first quarterback to start a Super Bowl in the same season as his first career start. A friend tasting with me said, “This makes me think of meatballs and spaghetti.” The wine is elegant, complex, and easy to drink.
dossier
The wine of Sidney Rice, a wide receiver who scored 30 touchdowns in his career, and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks—the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc has a nice nose, is pleasant and is fairly neutral in the mouth with a gentle acidity. It could use more varietal oomph, but is easygoing and drinkable. The 2021 Red Blend Index has an unusual fresh nose of tobacco, black pepper, and spices. It’s lovely and has good balance. Understated and shy, it tastes quietly expensive. While the 2021 Cabernet has a more intense nose and body than the blend, this is silky and smooth, with hints of wild Washington blackberries. The Pacific Northwest native James Beard would have loved this wine.
Mirror
The wine of Rick Mirer, who played college football at Notre Dame, was the second overall pick of the 1993 N.F.L. draft, and set rookie records for passing yards, attempts, and completions. He has done admirable work since his retirement, both in wine-making and in charitable contributions. The 2021 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon—from a well-known high-altitude vineyard—was easily one of the best of the tasting. Big, smooth, and silky, and it doesn’t stiff-arm you in the mouth. Not inexpensive at about $150, but might well be worth the price.
A former sportswriter for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, Alan Richman has won 16 James Beard Foundation Awards for his journalism on food and wine, and a National Magazine Award for feature writing