If you’re a football fan, you know that there’s one more game to be played this Sunday, and you’ve probably been soaking in all the stats and stories that the sports media has been cranking out this week.
I’m not sure whether anyone has reported on it yet, but there’s an interesting “wine story” connected with the game. You may know that the quarterback of the New England Patriots, Tom Brady, was preceded by a QB named Drew Bledsoe. What you may not know is that Bledsoe now is a winery owner.
His estate is called Doubleback. It’s located in Walla Walla, Washington, and it’s not unusual for visitors to encounter Bledsoe in the tasting room. Pretty cool for a football fan.
Now, here are a couple of fascinating “wine numbers” associated with Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons…
- $4,800 — Average price for a Super Bowl LI ticket — enough to purchase 22 bottles of 2006 Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne, a floral, fresh and fruitful sparkling wine that would be perfect for toasting the winning team — especially if it’s the team you’re rooting for.
- 1.23 billion — The number of chicken wings that will be consumed this Sunday. Since most wings have at least a bit of a “kick” to them, my wine of choice to drink with them is Zinfandel — the “bigger” the better. The wine we’ll be pouring is the 2013 Grey Wolf Vineyards “Big Bad” Zinfandel, which we’ve already enjoyed with a grilled, marinated leg of lamb.
- 51.7 million — Number of cases of beer sold on Super Bowl Sunday, which no doubt contributes to the next number…
- 1.5 million — Number of people who call in sick to work on the day after the Super Bowl.
Don’t be one of the 1.5 million and waste a sick day. Drink wine this Sunday!
