Imagine being a baseball fan who enjoys wine. Not that much of a reach here on the Seacoast, is it? Red Sox Nation's membership is strong in this section of the universe, where there also happens to be a large contingency of wine aficionados.
It's not uncommon to visit a Seacoast wine shop or bar and see patrons sipping from a stemmed glass of their favorite fermented, fruity or dry beverage while wearing a Sox T-shirt or cap. Gone are the days of Sox fans swilling only union beer; these folks have diversified their tastes.
So, assuming you are among this growing demographic, consider what it would be like to sit face to face with the likes of Sox stars Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, all the while enjoying a glass of tasty wine.
Sounds like an exciting opportunity for an adult Sox fan, doesn't it?
OK, now the letdown. While you won't be able to enjoy the wine with the likes of Ramirez, Schilling and Wakefield unless you've got some serious connections, you will be able to have a drink with the likenesses of the trio.
The Sox stars will be featured on bottles of Manny Being Merlot, Schilling Schardonnay and CaberKnuckle (a Cabernet Sauvignon) brought to the world by Charity Wines. The Longball Vineyards line will be available at stores around the Seacoast and across New England, including New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlet stores, Hannaford Supermarkets and Shaw's, beginning the first week of June.
Advice: Buy 'em when you see 'em. Curious types will purchase them, Sox fans will snatch them up and die-hard collectors will scoop up the bottles and try to get them autographed by the players.
Before anybody balks — baseball pun intended — at enhancing Manny's already lofty cash flow, know that the rich are not getting richer here. The three Sox stars aren't making a dime off their wines. Manny Being Merlot, Schilling Schardonnay and CaberKnuckle are going to charities of the players' choice.
All three brands are estate-grown wines imported from Chile and will be sold for approximately $11 to $13 per bottle. The best part is it isn't just a gimmick. The wines allegedly taste good, meaning you might be compelled to crack open a bottle of Manny to complement your next steak.
"We think the quality is in the bottle," said Andrew Graff, owner of Charity Wines, a division of R.P. Imports, which is distributing the wines in this area. "There is that novelty aspect to it, and a unique collector aspect, but when we showed the wines to buyers they were surprised by the quality of the wines."
Plus, the idea of drinking something with "knuckle" in the name is much more appealing than a knuckle sandwich. Sorry, couldn't resist that one. Consider it the bad joke of the day.
But back to the wines, which, obviously, are marketing genius.
"In this region, this is a no-brainer considering how popular the Red Sox are," said Rick Gerrish, the spirits buyer for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. "It spikes a lot of conversation and a lot of curiosity with people."
Yep, combine the two elements of wine and Red Sox, and, well, you have a winer — check that — a winner. Yeah, that's right; there's your second bad joke of the day.
"Nothing like this has ever been done," said Brett Rudy, co-founder of Charity Hop LLC, a sports marketing consulting firm that focuses on charitable ventures and is working with Charity Wines to give us Longball Vineyards wine. "Once we got those initial three players on board and those three charities, it turns into a spider web."
That spider web means lots of wine, and with $1.25 per bottle going to charity, that's good news for the groups benefiting from the sales. That figure represents about 70 to 75 percent of the import profit.
According to Graff, the potential funds raised for the players' chosen charities could be astronomical. He said the company will probably sell double the amount of a year's worth of wine in just two months, and that's just from this one line of wines.
"We have pre-sold over 18,000 cases already," Graff said. "It's been unbelievable."
Again, good news for charity.
For the record, Wakefield's charity of choice is Pitching for Kids, which raises money to enhance the lives of children across New England through sports-related activities. Manny Being Merlot will benefit CHARLEE, a Miami-based group that provides therapeutic, residential and supportive services to abused, abandoned and neglected children. Schilling Schardonnay will benefit Curt's Pitch for ALS, which provides support for patients with Lou Gehrig's disease and their families, while also trying to find a cure.
You'll be able to follow how much money the wines raise for the respective charities after the bottles hit shelves at www.charitywines.com. Between the charitable aspect, the Red Sox players' involvement and wine being widely viewed as an acceptable beverage, all the pieces fell into place for this project quite easily.
"In this case, the Red Sox players were behind it, they sent out press releases for us, so it was a home run," said Nicole Brassard, the wine marketing specialist for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.
As an aside, Brassard's dedication to her job, and her self-restraint, should be commended. She has had a case of Longball Vineyards in her office for a week now, but has yet to open it. She is holding out for a meeting with the state liquor commission, during which she was scheduled to present the wines as this paper went to press.
The wine names are certain to become interwoven in pop culture, too. Next time Ramirez makes one of his occasional gaffes in left field, the floodgates will open for the "Manny Being Merlot" jokes. If Schilling doesn't have his best stuff on the mound some night, you can be sure it will be blamed on too much Schilling Schardonnay the night before. You get the picture.
It's all in good fun, though, and most importantly, it's for three worthy causes.
Mike Sullivan is a Herald columnist. He can be reached at mikesully3234@yahoo.com.
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