![]() ("The rapini takes the edge off," Donald notes while washing down lamb with his namesake red.) As I sit through a boozy lunch with his lineup, it's easy to hear Donald glide toward foodie pretension. The first bottle hit the shelves five years ago, and they've sold several million dollars' worth of wine since. "By 2007 Donald had demonstrated enough know-how and determination-and made enough of a name for himself on the course-to persuade Terlato to move forward with a label. Donald mixes these ego assets with a few "good deals at Costco," including a bottle of 1999 Faustino Rioja that also graces my wine fridge. Even the pata negra ham, teed-up on a special holder, has an interesting provenance: It was a gift last year from European Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal. But as with all true aficionados, his favorites carry a backstory: the case of Vega Sicilia Unico from Spain's Ribera del Duero that Sergio Garcia gave him for his wedding a bottle of George pinot noir, from Sonoma, courtesy of another member of the Chicago golfing mafia, Michael Jordan. "Yes, he has plenty of showy reds, from Insignia to Opus One to his favorite, the 1985 Lynch Bages. ![]() The far right? "That's the 'do not touch' area for my wife." Then come whites, followed by reds, ranging from light to heavy. It's guarded by a password-coded keypad, and, once inside, you see that the wine racks fan out clockwise: champagnes on the far left, including vintage Dom Perignon and Bollinger (the tony "house pour"). The stash has grown to 800 bottles, all stored below the meat refrigerator in a glass-enclosed, climate-controlled cellar that Donald customized with a metallic floor and stained wood. "He had a passion for food and wine." They began swapping respective tips, and after Donald turned pro and began cashing big checks, he asked Terlato to help him build out his collection. "I had a passion for golf," says Terlato, a six handicap. While not quite head-turning, his chardonnay is certainly grin-inducing, like a lively, crisp Burgundy.ĭonald's real wine education started on the greens during college, where he shared a golf coach with Bill Terlato, Terlato's second-generation CEO. "We had to put a product out there to turn people's heads," says Donald. Donald's wine retails between $30 and $50, leading to something of a paradox: People who buy wine based on a celebrity's name don't pay 50 bucks a bottle-and people who pay 50 bucks a bottle don't buy based on a celebrity's name. Of course, contemporary European-style wine using top California grapes costs. "I wanted it to be my style-contemporary European," he says. Donald even helps blend the juice itself. Donald helped design the modern, modular label, fronted by his dramatic signature. "It's pretty low-risk," concedes Donald.īut here's where Donald blazes a different trail: He takes a hands-on approach to every facet of the process. Terlato Wines, America's largest marketer of premium wine, fronts the money, while Donald gets a royalty cut. Like most celebrities, Donald has embraced the concept of doing business with other people's money. Even golf announcers are getting in on the act: Jim Nantz named his California wine, naturally, The Calling. Brand names like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer treat their wines like product extensions. Australian Greg Norman, of course, helped put his country's grapes on the wine map South Africans Ernie Els and David Frost also have labels from their homeland. In marrying golf and wine, Donald, who briefly held the world's number one ranking last year, joins an impressive number of pitch-and-putt drink purveyors.
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