Don't Miss

Miami Dolphins to feature Washington wines

By Andy Perdue on September 1, 2014

Washington state wines will be featured during Miami Dolphins home games during the 2014 season.

Miami Dolphins fans will get the opportunity to savor Washington state wines this season, with on winery spotlighted during each home game. (Photo via Flickr/click for credit)

MIAMI – Nine Washington wineries will be taking their talents to South Florida for the National Football League season.

The wineries will be part of the “Eat This. Drink That. Go.” radio and television show at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.

The wineries are:

Waterbrook Winery in Walla Walla.
Novelty Hill/Januik Winery in Woodinville.
Corvus Cellars in Walla Walla.
Canoe Ridge Vineyard in Woodinville.
Obelisco Estate in Woodinville.
Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla.
J. Bookwalter in Richland and Woodinville.
Barrage Cellars in Woodinville.
Balboa Winery in Walla Walla.

The wineries will pour their wines at each Dolphins home game. The show is stage by former Dolphins wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo.

“Cefalo’s Legends Suite is all about great food, great drink and great football,” said Brenda Bassett, president and co-owner of Cefalo’s International, which co-hosts and produces the show. “After former Dolphins quarterbacks Dan Marino and Damon Huard launched their new Washington winery – Passing Time – earlier this year, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to showcase Washington wines for our guests in the suite.”

The Dolphins do not face the world champion Seattle Seahawks this season.

50 wineries had chance to team up with Miami Dolphins

Obelisco Estate will be featured during a Miami Dolphins game this season.

Obelisco Estate, which grows its grapes on Red Mountain and operates a tasting room in Woodinville, will be featured during a Miami Dolphins game this season. (Photo by Andy Perdue/Great Northwest Wine)

Bob Silver, owner of Silver Strategic Communications in Seattle, contacted about 50 Washington wineries to see who might be interested in serving their wines in South Florida.

“The response was incredible,” Silver said. “Within 24 hours, we had filled all nine available slots and had a number of wineries on a waiting list. Florida was a target market several years ago for Washington wine associations. Hopefully, this season-long promotion will help remind Florida consumers just how terrific Washington wines are.”

The promotion started last Thursday during the Dolphins’ final preseason game with Waterbrook wines. Wines from Novelty Hill/Januik – made by former Chateau Ste. Michelle head winemaker Mike Januik – will be featured at Miami’s home opener Sept. 7 against the perennial AFC powerhouse New England Patriots.

“This terrific lineup of wineries offers a great cross-section of Washington’s wine industry,” Silver said. “We have some excellent large producers, as well as smaller, 1,000-case wineries.”

In addition to the game-day promotion, the wines also will be promoted on the Dolphins’ website, which averages 200,000 visitors daily during the season.

Doug Long, owner of Obelisco Estate, is pleased to take part.

“This promotion was a no-brainer for us, and we jumped at the chance to participate,” he said. “We’re looking forward to sharing our wines and talking about Washington state with people in Cefalo’s Legends Suite. They’re definitely in for a treat this season.”

featured ticker

About Andy Perdue

Andy Perdue is the editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine. He is a third-generation journalist who has worked at newspapers since the mid-1980s and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Eric Degerman and served as its editor-in-chief for 15 years. He is a frequent judge at international wine competitions. He is the author of "The Northwest Wine Guide: A Buyer's Handbook" (Sasquatch, 2003) and has contributed to four other books. He writes about wine for The Seattle Times. You can find him on Twitter and Google+.