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Vintage GolfDate: 01/11/2005
You could say Ernie Els' passion for wine was, well, love at first sight. The sweet-swinging South African fell madly in love with the wine business the same night he met the woman who would eventually become his wife. The meeting took place in Stellenbosch, a beautiful part of the South African wine country. It was a romantic evening to remember. "It (Stellenbosch) is a little village near Cape Town and it's where the wine region is in South Africa. They make a lot of good wines there;" Els explained when asked about his wines by the Star. "Actually. my partner in the wine business, Jean Engelbrecht's father has got his own wine estate, and Jean at that time was working in the vineyards, and he was also a golf enthusiast_ "Jean introduced me to my future wife and that evening after the golf tournament we went to Jean's fathers wine estate and we had a barbeque... and that was our first date at the wine estate. Needless to say, we had quite a few bottles of wine. "Three or four years ago Jean and I kind of said, `why don't we start our own label?' Now we've bought our own winery, so we're going to be farming some serious wines. Imagine, we own our winery. Its very exciting!' Els is not alone in his excitement for the wine industry. From the sunny climates of South Australia to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, a growing number of professional golfers are linking up with wineries. Canada's own Mike Weir became the latest in February when he joined forces with Creekside Estate Winery in Niagara to develop Mike Weir Estate Winery. Weir's wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend and a Chardonnay, should be available to consumers soon. Weir in February provided players at the Nissan Open in Los Angeles with a bottle of his 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve along with an invitation to this year's Canadian Open in Vancouver. "The best part of it is that all the money earned goes directly to the Mike Weir Foundation," said Weir, who last year worked with his wife, Bricia, to set up a foundation to assist the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children in Canada. Greg Norman has been involved with wine for years, as witnessed by many 0ntarians while strolling through the LCBO. Former Canadian Open winner David Frost's bottles can sometimes be found at Toronto restaurants. Former British Open winner Nick Faldo has been in winemaking for a couple years now, and lately more top golfers are taking a bigger role in the industry. Given the amount of disposable income a top golfer has, it's no surprise that the likes of Norman and Els have put down roots in a business that has attracted many celebrities over the years - from Fess Parker (the actor who used to play Daniel Boone on TV) to director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Gerard Depardieu. Pop star Sting has a couple hundred acres in Tuscany, the playground of the rich and famous and Bob Dylan has had discussions with a winery about putting the name Planet Waves - the title of one of his albums - on their label. Formula One star Michael Schumacher also owns a winery in Switzerland. But being in the wine business is second nature to some golfers. Frost, for instance, grew up on a vineyard in South Africa and learned about winemaking at an early age. "My Dad grew grapes," Frost told the Star as he Practiced for last year's Bell Canadian Open at Glen Abbey. "My grandfather owned a vineyard, so there were three generations. And I grew up in the industry. I knew when the right time was to pick the grapes and when sugar levels were at their best." Frost bought some property in South Africa in 1994, and his brother, Michael, now runs the operation. Another farm was bought in 1998, and he brought in a California winemaker to help out. "I didn't want the French style, which is very earthy and mineral-like. I wanted more fruit like California cabs and merlots have. The good thing about South Africa is you can do anything. There's not too much summer rain like you sometimes get in Burgundy or Bordeaux." Frost mainly produces red wines on his property - cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec. The property is inland and a little hot for whites, so Frost buys his chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes elsewhere. One dollar from every bottle sold goes to a charity. One of Els' high-end wines got a 93 rating from Wine Spectator magazine a couple years ago - at that time the highest-ever score for a South African wine. Asked if he'd rather win a PGA tournament or have one of his wines a 90 rating from legendary wine writer Robert Parker, Els' eyes lit up. "I'd definately take the Parker," he said. "Definately the Parker. You get money from winning a tourney but the notoriety you get in building your brand with a 90 point rating is something else." Frost takes great pride in the fact he's intimately familiar with the wine business. "Greg (Norman) doesn't own his vineyards. Ernie does - but he doesn't know the process as well. Same with Nick. None of them put their own money in (the business), except Ernie." Asked what he likes best about winemaking, Frost paused. "I never know how to answer that question. Maybe it's like golf; you can be creative and hit a certain type of shot in golf. In wine, you can be creative and do things in different ways. "I wouldn't say I drink a lot but I know the best wines and i know what the various grapes should taste like," Frost said. "I like to start a meal with a glass of sauvignon blanc, especially from South Africa or New Zealand, or a sancerre (from France) - something fresh and grissy. Then I like to have a glass of Shiraz. With my meal, I like a bigger red, maybe something French or an older cabernet. And maybe finish with a little ice wine. "but it has to be from Peller Estate because I'm staying here (at last year's Bell Canadian Open) with John Peller at his home in Burlington." Faldo got involved in the wine business a couple years ago and linked up with producers in the famous Coonawarra region of South Australia. Faldo has a pretty powerful personality but said he "didn't want to knock people over" with his wines. The estate, located between Melbourne and Adelaide bottles cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, sauvignon blanc and a sparkling shiraz - a buddy red wine that's not uncommon in Australia but might raise an eyebrow at a party in these parts. As for Norman, the wine business was a natural fit. "I got into wine because I travelled the world so much, early on in my career," Norman has said. "I was in France, other parts of Europe, South America. I've always enjoyed wine, and I enjoy taking time to appreciate the flavour." While Frost, Els, Norman and Faldo are the only PGA golfers with their own line of wines at this stage, a number or pro's are certainly wine enthusiasts. Jeff Sluman is said to have 1,500 bottles at home in his cellar and he and his wife have taken bike trips through the Napa Valley in California. Duffy Waldorf has 2,000 bottles at home in California, and he and tour veteran Kirk Triplett have bandied about the idea of putting out their own wine. What would it be called, he was asked? "Journeyman Red." TASTING NOTES - Our Experts rate the wines - Jim Byers . |
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Many PGA stars bubble with enthusiasm when they talk wine and some will tell you that uncorking their own brands is more satisfying than uncorking a 300-yard drive 
