Score! The Athlete-Owned Wines That Need To Be On Your Radar (And In Your Glass)

THE ATHLETE: Danica Patrick

Photo Credit: WILL BUCQUOY

Danica Patrick is a glass ceiling breaker, best known as the most famous female race car driver of all time. In 2008, she became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series event with her victory in the Indy Japan 300. Transitioning to stock cars, she went on to break records competing in NASCAR’s top series.

THE WINES: Somnium and Danica Rosé

Photo Credit: Somnium

THE STORY

After a fated trip to Napa Valley’s Quintessa, a determined Patrick made it her mission to open her own winery, and purchased a vineyard on Howell Mountain in 2009. The development of her label, Somnium, began with a Cabernet Sauvignon in 2011. Following the brand’s success, she added a new wine label, Danica Rosé, an approachable French rosé produced in the traditional Provençal style.

THE ATHLETE: Dwyane Wade

Photo Credit: Metelus Studio
Dwyane Wade has been named one of the NBA’s 75 best players of all time for a reason: his love of and dedication to the game of basketball. He spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat, winning three NBA championships; he was also a 13-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team.

THE WINE: D Wade Cellars

Photo Credit: D Wade Cellars

THE STORY

Dwyane’s love of wine was fueled by the food and wine he enjoyed with his teammates Chris Bosh and Lebron James while playing for the Heat. During a 2014 harvest trip to Napa Valley, he decided to partner with friend Jayson Pahlmeyer on a label, and D Wade Cellars was born. The brand currently makes a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chenin Blanc, and a rosé.

THE ATHLETE: Charles Woodson

Photo Credit: Andreas Branch
Charles Woodson is a former NFL defensive back who played 18 seasons with the then-Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, winning his Super Bowl ring with the latter. He is the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was also the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the 2015 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recipient, and a 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

THE WINE: Intercept Wines

Photo Credit: Intercept Wines

THE STORY

After falling in love with Napa Valley during training camps with the Oakland Raiders, Woodson launched his own label, Twenty Four, with Robert Mondavi winemaker Rick Ruiz. After retiring, he joined forces with family-owned O’Neill Vintners & Distillers and winemaker Amanda Gorter out of Paso Robles, California, to create Intercept Wines, which currently has a Pinot Noir, red blend, the limited edition Hall of Fame Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Chardonnay. The brand launched regionally in 2019 and nationally in 2020.

THE ATHLETE: Greg Norman

Photo Credit: Rick Mariani
Australian golfer Greg Norman, otherwise known as the “Great White Shark”, has won more than 90 tournaments worldwide, including two Open Championships, and is a 2001 inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame.Norman now transcends the game of golf, with over a dozen companies around the world bearing his name and his iconic shark logo, and has designed 100 golf courses across six continents.

THE WINE: Greg Norman Estates

Photo Credit: Old Bridge Cellars
THE STORY

Norman founded his Greg Norman Estates in 1996 as an internationally recognized collection of 10 varietals from Australia, New Zealand, and California — including Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara — with fourteen 90+ point scores to its record. Today, Norman runs the brand with his daughter, Morgan-Leigh Norman, who serves as proprietor and brand ambassador.

THE ATHLETE: Drew Bledsoe

Photo Credit: MARK VANDONGE
Former American pro footballer Drew Bledsoe played 14 seasons in the NFL (1993–2001) as a starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, which earned him a place in the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011; he also played for the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys.

THE WINE: Doubleback Wines

Photo Credit: Bledsoe Wine Estates

THE STORY

Upon retiring from the NFL in 2007, Bledsoe “doubled back” to his hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, to realize a long-held dream of establishing an estate-focused winery with the goal of crafting a rich and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. The result? Doubleback. True to his systematic success, the very first vintage immediately earned rave reviews.

THE ATHLETE: Mario Andretti

Photo Credit: Bruce Alan Benneett/Shutterstock.com
Mario Andretti is one of the most successful race car drivers in history — one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula 1, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967), and the Formula 1 World Championship.

THE WINE: Andretti Winery

Photo Credit: Andretti Winery
THE STORY

Andretti launched his wine label as a hobby in 1996, two years after retiring from auto racing, as a way of commemorating his storied career.After catching the winemaking bug, he and longtime friend Joe Antonini purchased a plot of land in the Oak Knoll region of Napa Valley, grew several varietals of grapes, and built a Tuscan-themed winery, tasting room, and guesthouse.

THE ATHLETES: Channing Frye and Kevin Love

Photo Credit: Ally B Martin
From 2005–2019, Channing Frye played for teams, including the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, winning an NBA Championship with the latter in 2016. Kevin Love, his championship-winning teammate on the Cavaliers, still plays for said team, and is also a five-time All-Star and a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

THE WINE: Chosen Family Wines

Photo Credit: Studio Mega
THE STORY

This is a story of friendship. Frye, along with business partners in Chosen Family Wines, Chase Renton and Jacob Gray, debuted their Willamette Valley wines, including a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay, in 2020. Love, a close friend of Frye’s, joined the brand in 2021 as partner. Together, the gents have many more award wins in mind for their future off the court.

THE ATHLETE: Chris Paul

Photo Credit: Bob Metelus
Chris Paul, otherwise known as CP3, currently plays in the NBA as a point guard for the Phoenix Suns. He’s one of the most lauded players in the NBA: an 11-Time NBA All-Star, NBA Rookie of the Year Award winner, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, and a two-time Olympic gold medal winner.

THE WINE: La Fête Rosé

Photo Credit: LA FÊTE WINE COMPANY

THE STORY

Earlier this year, Paul joined La Fête Wine Company as an equity partner. As a longtime supporter of the brand — the first entirely black-owned rosé wine company out of St. Tropez — it made sense for Paul, a longtime philanthropist, to align with a brand that champions social causes. Since its 2019 debut, La Fête has donated a portion of its proceeds to programs that provide disadvantaged youth with unique travel experiences, as well as to organizations that create opportunities for people of color in the wine and spirits industry.

THE ATHLETE: Ernie Els

Photo Credit: Hedley Lamarr/Shutterstock.com
Ernie Els is a former World No. 1 ranked South African pro golfer with more than 70 career victories to his name, including four major championships. Most notably, he is one of only six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Els was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, and was inducted in May 2011.

THE WINE: Ernie Els Wines

Photo Credit: Cornelius Muller/Mullerfoto.com
THE STORY

As a longtime lover of wine, Els sought to create a brand he could drink easily from the Helderberg region of his native South Africa. Ernie Els Wines was created in 1999, growing to four signature collections. The winery officially opened in 2005, and since then, the focus has been on producing a range of wines, with a particular focus on Cabernet Sauvignon.

THE ATHLETE: Yao Ming

Photo Credit: Yao Family Wines
After being selected with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao Ming flourished with the Houston Rockets for nearly a decade as a five-time NBA All-Star so much so that he became an NBA Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

THE WINE: Yao Family Wines

Photo Credit: Yao Family Wines

THE STORY

Yao Ming first fell in love with wine after an introduction from then-teammate Dikembe Mutombo, and upon visiting Napa for the first time in 2009, realized this was how he wanted to leave a legacy. After retiring from the NBA in 2011, he founded his award-winning Napa Valley winery, Yao Family Wines.

THE ATHLETES: Dan Marino and Damon Huard

Photo Credit: Passing Time
Dan Marino is a former NFL quarterback who played 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He has won dozens of accolades, including NFL Rookie of the Year, NFL MVP, and the 1998 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. His business partner, Damon Huard, is also a former NFL quarterback, with 12 seasons and two Super Bowl rings under his belt with the New England Patriots.

THE WINE: Passing Time

Photo Credit: Passing Time

THE STORY

Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Damon Huard had to travel 3,000 miles away from home to learn about the fine wines coming from his home state of Washington. It was teammate and NFL Hall of Famer, Dan Marino, who went into his personal cellar to introduce Damon to Washington State wines during the 1997 season. Over the next decade, the former QBs’ conversation about wine evolved into a discussion about owning and operating their own winery upon Huard’s retirement and returning to Washington State. Passing Time was then launched with the 2012 vintage of cabernet and released in the spring of 2015