PGA Players turn winemakers

Normally, PGA players would hate to score in the 90’s, but not when they are shooting for the wine critics 100-point scale as par! In recent years there have been several current and former PGA tour players branch out and start their own wineries or partner with current ones. To some golfers, it seems like the perfect extension of their lifestyles and even their competitiveness. Golfers that jumped from the course to the barrel room include; Greg Norman (he has been making wine for nearly two decades), Ernie Els, Arnold Palmer, Mike Weir, Nick Faldo, John Daly, Retief Goosen, Luke Donald and Gary Player.

The idea is simple; the golfers bring the fame and capital while the winemakers bring the expertise of growing the grapes and making the wine. Some of these wines are getting extremely high marks, especially the Norman and Els wines. Those two guys have been at it longer and have done a good job of identifying their target audience and making wines for them. Greg Norman started out with a Australian winery but has recently expanded to a California estate as well. Ernie Els joined forces with Jean Engelbrecht whom he was a friend with since childhood and happened to be one of South Africa’s most respected winemakers.

Mike Weir opened his winery in 2005 on the Niagara Peninsula and quickly started winning medals at Canada’s top wine competitions. Mainly for his Vidal Icewine that is made from grapes harvested after the first freezes. Mike is not looking to make millions from his wines; all of the proceeds go to the Mike Weir Foundation, which benefits Canadian children’s charities.

Gary Player hasn’t been in the wine business long, actually he wasn’t even looking to make wine until he was part of a huge real estate deal in 2004 where part of the land was the well-known South African vineyard, The Boschendal Estate. Now they are producing a Major Championship Series to commemorate Player’s 18 majors and senior majors victories.

Another South African that has joined the wine industry is Retief Goosen. Retief joined forces with winemaker Morne Jonker and their winery is located in the heart of the South African wine region, which also happens to be where the best golf courses are located as well. Goosen promotes his wine on the pro circuit both in the states and in Europe. His wines have been served at several PGA and European golf events including the British Open last year at Carnoustie.

John Daly Wines is new to the wine game and just produces three labels. I have not tasted any of his wines and frankly when I think of wines produced by John Daly, I would imagine it being either very sweet like a muscadine wine or harsh like a ripple. But I will try to have an open mind when I do get the chance to taste one of his wines.

Luna Vineyards have joined a partnership with Arnold Palmer and they are starting to produce a couple Arnold Palmer series wines. The same type of relationship is set up between Katnook Estate in Australia and Nick Faldo as well as Luke Donald and Terlato Wines.

With the star power behind these wines, does it matter if they are any good? I think these players all take pride in their achievements and would want to make the best wine possible. All of these wines are getting good reviews and I look forward to tasting each and every one of them one day. Of course I might need to win a couple of PGA tournaments before I can afford all of them! Anyway, I just find it interesting when these worlds intersect. Two of my favorite things are golf and wine and these guys are now combining them. That is pretty cool!

Cheers!