IWFS Wine & Food Gazette May 2021

MAY 2021

EVENT REPORT: SECOND ANNUAL MARCH MADNESS STAG

ALSO INSIDE • Professional Basketball Players who Own Wineries Blast from the Past • Upcoming Omaha Branch Events

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

EDITOR’S

I

CORNER

always enjoy going to the March Madness event. The brainchild of Joe Goldstein, who besides being an avid golfer, is a rabid basketball fan. He wanted an affordable event, with relaxed, tailgate style food, but high end wines. This was the second annual March Madness event. Last year’s inaugural Madness event, which we held by the skin of our teeth as the COVID curtain was descending, was a success. If you recall, the rules were in flux. First restaurants could have 50 people, then 25. We got it in just in time.

Besides being no snow on the ground like last year, the 2021 season saw us again with the most popular course, the Mac ‘n Cheese station where you could build your own Mac ‘n Cheese dish with the likes of lobster pieces and/or shrimp, blackened chicken or bacon, and finished with a white sauce. Joe, who is writing averse, submitted the event report.

Way to go, Joe! Giving back to the team.

I got to thinking that there were probably some highly paid basketball professionals who had ties to the wine industry. The college players just don’t have enough money accumulated because they are still going to school and haven’t been drafted to the NBA yet, so it isn’t quite a March Madness theme. So before the May 31, 2021 Wine Spectator came out with their story, and before The Wine Enthusiast had LeBron James on their May 2021 cover, with a tiny story about his wine collection, I had researched the early NBA wine pioneers: Sasha Vujačić, Yao Ming and Dwyane Wade. These three don’t just have fine cellars, they own vineyards. Check out the story. Hey, maybe next year Joe can dig up some of their wine for our event!

Some members have had trouble reading the Gazette on issuu.com, Or, they don’t want to sign in, which means you can’t even read the Gazette at all. They prefer a PDF since all you have to do is click it open. We have decided to offer it in both formats.

In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time.

Tom Murnan Cover Photo: Cover photo: Jason Pahlmeyer (L) and Dwyane Wade (R)

Used car salesman to prospect: “There isn’t a dent in it because it belonged to a little old lady whose little old husband wouldn’t let her drive it.”

F ro m T he Best of t he Cockle Bur comp il ed a nd edi t ed by H a rry B Ot is, 3rd P residen t 1973-1974

May 2021 · Page 3

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

SECOND ANNUAL MARCH MADNESS STAG T

Written by Joe Goldstein Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky

he Happy Hollow Cry Room was the location for the second March Madness High Noon Stag. The event is designed for everyone to come out, watch the NCAA basketball tournament, support your favorite team and enjoy unique tailgate foods, all in a casual setting. Last year due to Covid-19 virus outbreak, there was no basketball. This year we were able to have the stag, and watch conference tournament basketball, and a few of the guys even enjoyed cigars on the patio. The event started out with quaffing wines from our cellar, paired with lamb meatballs, and bacon wrapped mini hot dogs. Not often do you have a highly rated Bordeaux with a hot dog, and meatballs.

Up next was the highlight of the event.

Everyone was treated to the Happy Hollow Macaroni and Cheese station. Similar to an omelet station, each guest was able to customize his Mac n Cheese with lobster, shrimp, bacon, and an assortment of veggies. This paired well with a 2017 H. Peter Franus Albarino.

The group was then treated to a Trio of Mexican Street Foods. Included were Pork Sopas, Street Tacos, and Maria’s Green Chili Chicken Tamales. Maria is one of the wait staff who brought her homemade, genuine Mexican tomales to

Page 4 · 2021 ·

our lunch. These menu items were paired with side by side wine tastings to create an interesting attempt at complimenting the food. We sampled a 2009 Penfold’s St. Henri Shiraz, and a 2010 Fanti Brunello.

Everyone loved Maria’s tomales.

The third course Chef Brenden put together a St. Louis style BBQ Platter for us to try. The platter consisted of St. Louis style pork ribs, Smoked Turkey, and pulled pork. The course was paired with a 2014 Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2009 Louis Jadot Pommard Les Rugiens. These two unusual choices seemed to pair well with the BBQ. Finally, we finished with Happy Hollow Chocolate Fudge Brownies, paired with a fantastic port from our cellar, the 2003 Cockburn Quinta dos Canais.

A special thanks go out to Les Zanotti, and Duke Matz for building such a terrific wine cellar for us to be able to pull such great wines for our events. Thanks also to the staff at Happy Hollow, and in particular Brenden Brown, and Sommelier Michael Kowal for creating a laid back atmosphere, and a unique menu, and interesting wine pairings for us to enjoy. I am hopeful we will do this event again next year. Thanks for attending.

May 2021 · Page 5

Page 6 · 2021 ·

May 2021 · Page 7

Page 8 · 2021 ·

May 2021 · Page 9

Page 10 · 2021 ·

May 2021 · Page 11

Page 12 · 2021 ·

May 2021 · Page 13

Page 14 · 2021 ·

May 2021 · Page 15

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO OWN WINERIES

By Tom Murnan

o

ur recent March Madness themed Saturday Stag got me to thinking about basketball players owning wineries.

I knew it wouldn’t be college players, so I looked to professionals. There are not a lot of NBA winery owners, but there are a few with varying degrees of fame.

S&G ESTATES

Aleksander “Sasha” Vujačić hails from Slovenia, where his step father Goran Bjekovic and his mother Ksenija played professional volleyball, while their son Sasha began a basketball career. The family moved to Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia wine region when Sasha signed a professional basketball contract at the age of 15. His step father fell in love with the wine of that area. By the year 2004, the family moved to Los Angeles when Sasha was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers on the first round of the draft, 27th pick. In the 2007-2008 season, he set the Lakers three point field goal record with a .437% conversion rate. He then went on to help the Lakers win the 2009 and 2010 NBA championship. In 2011 he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, then played in a number of European leagues, The New York Nicks 2015-2017. He ended his basketball career with the Italian club Auxilium Torino 20172018 season. In 2018 he became the official ambassador for the Japanese basketball team Saga Ballooners.

Pursuing their dream of owning a winery, the father / son team found 30 acres of land in the Paso Robles areas that already had some vines and built a winery. They named it S&G Estates after Sasha and Goran. Paso Robles is mostly known for Rhone varietals or Zinfandel, but the winery focuses on Bordeaux Blends, with the Aleksander

Reserve label being their top of the line red.

I guess you would characterize their reds as being Right Bank, to use a Bordeaux term, because they are Merlot dominant. The 2016 Aleksander, for example, has 60% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. The estate also has 650 olive trees from which they sell olive oil.

The winery was a good escape for him from the rigors of a long basketball season.

When he was playing basketball, Sasha typiPage 16 · 2021 ·

cally was present for the harvest and start of the crush, but then had to leave for training camp. Goran and Ksenija are present at the winey throughout the year. About 1200 cases of Aleksander and Aleksander Reserve are produced annually. The highest rated wine was a 2011 Aleksander (regular label) which received a 95 from the Wine Enthusiast. Most of the wine is sold on a club program, but it is also sold to restaurants. Recent ratings have dropped a bit. >

Co-Founder Don Hartford

May 2021 · Page 17

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO OWN WINERIES YAO FAMILY WINES

< At 7 foot 6 inches tall, Yao Ming was the tallest NBA player of his time. In Chinese, the family name comes first, then the individual’s name. Both of his parents were professional Chinese basketball players.

Ming weighed 11 pounds at birth, about twice the weight of the average Chinese child. He joined the Shanghai Sharks junior team when he was 11 years old, and advanced to the senior team in four years.

He broke his foot for the second time in his rookie year. Yao attracted attention in the USA. The Chinese government made him give half his salary back to the Chinese government, including salary and endorsements. They also specified that the Houston Rockets had to pick Ming first overall.

When Yao became the first pick of the 2002 draft, he became the first NBA player who never played in the USA before. Several commentators predicted that Yao would not last, and Charles Barkley said he would kiss commentator Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith’s ass if Yao made 19 points in any game during his rookie season. Yao scored 20 against the Lakers, and Barkley had to pay up by kissing the buttock of a donkey that Smith purchased for the occasion (Smith’s ass). He ended his rookie year with 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. By 2005, he was averaging 21.4 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Because of his height, he seemed to be vulnerable to foot and leg problems. During his career, Ming developed osteomyelitis, broke a bone in his foot, broke his right knee, broke a leg, stress fractured his left foot, sprained an ankle and the like. By 2011, he decided to retire from the NBA. In 2016 Yao Ming started Yao Family Wines in Napa. He has a tasting room on St. Helena’s Main Street, near the iconic Gott’s Roadside Burger Shack. This was partially financed by a crowdfunding campaign which raised $3 million dollars. The tasting room has memorabilia from his basketball days.

Yao began to enjoy wine while he was in Houston and on the road, going to steakhouses. When in San Francisco for games, he would explore Napa Valley wineries. He decided he wanted to do more than just be a label made by the likes of Beringer or Robert

Mondavi as some celebrities do, customizing a bottling from purchased grape sources.

Yao was an entrepreneur already, owning a Chinese restaurant in Houston. He wanted to learn the process of making wine and help the business grow. He developed a dialogue with Tom Hinde, who had three decades of experience in the wine industry. Yao had a vision of the winery making wine the family way, like is done in China. That means everyone helps towards the success of the enterprise: from wine making to customer relations. Hinde is the current President and Director of Winemaking.

Yao Family Wines launched its first wines in 2011, the Yao Ming Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, both a regular label and Family Reserve label. The wines met with rave reviews. Robert Parker Jr. reviewed the Yao Family Wines 2010 Yao Ming Family Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the October 31, 2013 Issue 209 Wine Advocate and gave it a 95 rating.

Parker commented:

Page 18 · 2021 ·

“I am aware of all the arguments that major celebrities lending their names to wines is generally a formula for mediocrity, but that is not the case with Yao Ming. These are high class wines. The two Cabernets are actually brilliant, and the Reserve bottling ranks alongside just about anything made in Napa.”

They currently make 7 wines, a rosé, a Sauvignon Blanc and three Cabernet Sauvignons, a sparkling wine and a Port style dessert wine. In 2013, they brought out a second label, Napa Crest. Most of the wine is shipped to China. The Family Reserve sells for $258.00. Scores have slipped a bit since Robert Parker retired. >

Yao Ming and President and Director of Winemaking Tom Hinde

May 2021 · Page 19

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO OWN WINERIES D WADE CELLARS

< D Wade Cellars was conceived by Dwyane Wade Jr. His interest in wine was sparked by his love of Napa Valley wines and fine dining with his friends and teammates Lebron James and Chris Bosh.

Dwyane led a difficult early life on Chicago’s south side. His father and mother divorced when Dwyane was four months old.

His mother was a drug addict and was in and out of prison, but both parents abused drugs and alcohol. His older sister, Tragil, helped her brother by tricking him into moving in with their father, Dwyane senior. He struggled with academics. He was accepted by Marquette, but was sidelined in his freshman year by the NCCA Proposition 48, which set academic standards. He used the time off to raise his grades. By his sophomore year, he was eligible to play basketball. In 2001-02, Dwyane led the Marquette Golden Eagles to their best season since 1993-94, with a 26-7 record. In the next season, his mother JoLinda was released from prison and saw her 6 Ft 4 inch son play basketball for the first time.

Dwyane led Marquette in all statistics, helping the team to finish the season as No. 6 in the AP poll. Dwyane was rated the MVP in the Midwest Regional. He then decided to skip his senior year and enter the NBA draft.

Dwyane was selected 5th in the NBA 2003 draft by the Miami Heat to play guard, and quickly proved he was a productive player. He was selected for the 2004 NBA All-Rookie Team. He came in 3rd as the Rookie of the Year, after LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Despite his high scoring, and The Heat acquiring Shaquille O’Neal, the team did not win the 2005 season. In the 2006 NBA finals, Wade scored 42, 36, and 43 in rounds 3,4, and 5, and ultimately helping to win the championship. Seasons 2006-08 were difficult, plagued with injuries, and missing 31 games from injuries. But The Heat won the NBA championship in 2006. In 2008, he helped the USA win Gold in the Olympics. In 2008, he scored 50 points shooting 56%, but The Heat still lost by 20 points to the Orlando Magic. The 2008-10 season was a very productive one for Dwyane. The Heat won two back-to- back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. He had to have knee surgery in 2012 and missed the Summer Olympics. A hamstring injury in 2014 caused him to miss 7 games. He transferred to the Chicago Bulls for 2016-2018 seasons, making $47 million

dollars. He returned to the Miami Heat for the 2018-19 season and then retired in January 2020. He was voted an NBA All-Star 13 times, 2005-2016, and 2019.

D Wade Cellars is a collaborative effort with Pahlmeyer, who has been making wine since 1986. Dwyane’s passion about fine wine and dining cemented a partnership with Jason Pahlmeyer after witnessing a harvest, which sparked a dream of having a winery of his own. He wanted to do something with a legacy, and wine seemed to fit that dream.

Wade allows Pahlmeyer to do the daily operations, like sourcing the grapes and production, but he is involved in blending. Pahlmeyer creates a series of blends, which Dwyne selects and Jason refines. There is no tasting room, just the winery which is not open to the public. The first wine was made from 2012 grapes and released in 2015. In the beginning, only two red wines were made. Today three red wines, one white and a rosé are made.

D Wade Cellars offers their high end wines named Three By Wade: a Malbec dominant wine for about $35, a higher end Three

By Wade Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend, which debuted for $85.00. There is also a Three by Wade Blanc $20, and Three By Wade California Rosé. Finally, Wade Cabernet Sauvignon, and rounds off the current offerings. Production is small, with about 2100 cases of the Malbec and 110 cases for the Three By Wade Cab. In 2019, Pahlmeyer sold to Gallo, and Jason now spends most of his time in Hawaii.

D Wade cellars sold their first vintage of Wade Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively in China. This was a good marketing move Page 20 · 2021 ·

because the Chinese love all things basketball, and he had already been selling Li-Ning sneakers to the Chinese, leaving Nike. The winery also established a presence in Miami, but now seek wider US awareness. The Wine Enthusiast did an interview with Dwyane on 3-23-2016 and put him on the cover of their Sports Issue. Curiously, I was unable to find any reviews of D Wade Cellars in the Wine Enthusiast or Wine Spectator, both of which did short stories on Wade, or even the Wine Advocate. Wilfred Wong rated the 2019 Rosé a 91 and the Three By Wade Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 a 92/100, selling for $42.

As mentioned, there is no tasting room. USA sales seem to be conducted through their web site, which currently shows all of the red wines sold out, with only the white for sale.

Investing in a winery is not a slam dunk for anyone, let alone professional basketball players. There is always risk involved.

One recent case was when Charles Banks was convicted of defrauding former NBA star Tim Duncan of millions of dollars and sentenced to four years in prison and restitution. Banks managed a dozen wineries and got overextended. But he could have easily lost his entire investment.

Sources: theundefeated.com/features/ nba-dwyane-wade-yao-ming-sasha-vujacic-california-wine-business/; en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Sasha_Vuja%C4%8Di%C4%87; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Ming; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade; dwadecellars. com/; winespectator.com/articles/charlesbanks-sentenced-to-four-years

Three by Wade Cabernet

Dwyane Wade, Carmello Anthony, and Jimmy Butler in Paris with Bordeaux’s finest

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James

Dwyane Wade and Jason Pahlmeyer

May 2021 · Page 21

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

Photos from Mike Dunn & Roger Peterson

Page 22 · 2021 ·

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS Mark Your Calendars!

MAY

13 JUN

6

BBQ & CIGAR STAG

Victory Lane Producer: Duke Matz

MODERN EUROPEAN CUISINE & WINES COUPLES DINNER

Au Courant Producer: Lowell Wilhite

HOSTING AN EVENT? Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: murnantom@gmail.com

A publication of the Omaha Branch of the International Wine and Food Society

May 2021 Purpose: To meet communication and service needs, to broaden participation and understand and to be an information exchange for the membership of The International Wine & Food Society in the Americas.

Publisher: Todd Lemke Editor: Tom Murnan Graphic Designer: Omaha Magazine, LTD.

THE INTERNATIONAL WINE & FOOD SOCIETY OF LONDON, ENGLAND OM A H A, NEBR A SK A BR A NCH - E X ECU T I V E COM MIT TEE PR ESI DENT: Mark Stokes............................................................... mark_stokes@aig.com

This Quick Response Code (QR-Code) can be scanned with a scanner app on your smart phone to take the reader directly to the Omaha Branch web site.

V ICE PR ESI DENT / SECR ETA RY: Dave Thrasher.................... dave@supportworks.com TR EASU R ER: Les Zanotti................................................................ zanol@cox.net

W I N E CELLA R M ASTER: Duke Matz....................................... dmatz@darland.com M EM BERSH I P CH A I R M A N: Joe Goldstein.............................. goldie2@cox.net

Joe Goldstein Steve Hipple Todd Lemke

B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S : John Matthews Duke Matz Tom Murnan

Tad Singer Mark Stokes Dave Thrasher

Lowell Wilhite Mike Wilke Les Zanotti

KEEP IN TOUCH! Please notify Club President, Mark Stokes, 402-679-7317 or via email at mark_stokes@aig.com to let him know if you are interested in hosting an IWFS event.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE MEMBERS WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Like us on FACEBOOK (IWFSOmaha): facebook.com/IWFSOmaha and follow us on TWITTER (IWFSOmaha): twitter.com/IWFSOmaha

All versions of Wine & Food Gazette are published monthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD, P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted however no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations. The opinions expressed in this publication, except as specifically stated to the contrary, are solely the opinion of the author and do no necessarily represent the views of the Board of Governors of the Americas. The International Wine & Food Society, LTD., the publisher and any officer, director, member or agent thereof. The international Wine & Food Society does not endorse advertisers’ products and is not responsible for damages incurred from the use of such products nor does it guarantee such products.