Charles Woodson during pre-game warm-ups. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As fans of the Green Bay Packers who live in Southern California, what better way to define our uniqueness from the rest of Packer Nation than to kick off our new blog than with a post about “wine”. Yeah, we get how the rest of our Packer Brethren love their beer and like to publish their favorite bratwurst recipes, but we’re a little different since we’ve adopted the California lifestyle. We still love out beer and brats, but it’s hard to resist the vibe of our California lifestyle that includes the occaisional wine tastings among friends and the mystique associated with California wine country.
The funny thing about the California wine country and its premium wine industry is that it probably wouldn’t exist today without the help from Wisconsin transplant, Agostin Harasthy. Harasthy, emigrated to Wisconsin from Hungary in 1840 and founded Sauk City, Wisconsin. He experimented with planting wine grapes in Wisconsin and prospered until he got the news that gold had been discovered in California in 1849. Harasthy struck purple gold in discovering that the Zinfandel cuttings he brought with him from Wisconsin produced exceptional wine in California vineyards. He became the father of California wine. The winery he established in Sonoma, California, Buena Vista Winery still prospers today. Buena Vista Winery was the very first premium winery to be built in California.
Fast forward to 1998 and a young cornerback for the Oakland Raiders named, Charles Woodson, fell under the spell of the California wine country during training camp in Napa, California. He toured the Robert Mondavi Winery and became friends with their winemakers. Woodson enjoyed how wine brought people together and quickly realized that he wanted to learn how to produce fine wine himself.
Charles named his winery “TwentyFour” because “24” was his jersey number at the time as a member of the Raiders.
TwentyFour Wines specializes in three varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. His wines are handcrafted in small quantities and only available at special events or through his Club TwentyFour wine program. The winery donates $10 of every bottle sold to the CS Mott Children’s Hospital & Von Voightlander Women’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“TwentyFour is an endeavor that, like its proprietor, came from humble beginnings and evolved into so much more. Blended from grapes that were cultivated in one of the most exclusive vineyards in the Napa Valley, TwentyFour embodies the abundant blessings that surround us. This is a wine of pure enjoyment, gratitude, giving back and paying forward. From our cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy.”
– Charles Woodson
Related articles
- Does the Worst Frost in California Wine Country Since 1972 Disprove Global Warming? (winemag.com)
- Charles Woodson will play safety if Packers can spare him at corner (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
- Long Island vs. California Wine Country: Why the Identity Crisis? (winemag.com)
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