I came to America in 1990. The New England Patriots sucked. They finished the 1990 season with a record of one win and fifteen losses. They were so bad that tickets would not sell out and as a result their games were rarely televised due to the local TV blackouts. I learned the rules of the game that was so violently portrayed in the European media by watching Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins instead.
Have times changed… this season it was Miami who finished 1-15 and the Patriots accomplished a 16-0 season for the first time ever in NFL history. A 16-0 that the football expert that I am predicted back in the middle of September just after their second game of the season. I’m not one to gamble on things I have no control over but after the Patriots and Bill Belichick were found to be braking the rules against Gary V’s Jets it was easy to see that a team which was already stacked with great talent and experience would just take it to another level. It was an easy bet to make, and oh by the way Rajat and Paul… time to pay up... where’s that bottle of wine you promised? So, in just a few years the New England Patriots went from an horrible team and big underdogs to multiple titles and the most hated team in the country. I love it!
If Tom Brady leads his team to their fourth NFL Super Bowl title this coming Sunday against the New York Giants, the comparison to the great Joe Montana who won four NFL rings will be inevitable. If I had a vote in selecting the best quarterback to ever play the game it wouldn’t be a slam dunk for Brady just yet. See, Joe Montana has an extra credit in my book... a wine. A few years ago Montana agreed to partner with Beringer Vineyards and created the Montagia label, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine that the Montana family uses primarily for charitable causes. The 2001 and 2002 vintages sell for $80 a bottle.
Now, keeping the trend of not being surrounded by super stars (at least not until this season), in case Brady ever wants to launch his wine brand he should not use grapes from Napa Valley’s renowned Howell Mountain region like Montana does, nor should he partner with an experience winemaker or a winemaking family with a legacy that goes back to the 19th century. He should instead build something from the ground up right here in the Southeastern New England AVA and work with an inexperienced winemaker like… ummm let me think… maybe me? Then he’ll for sure have my vote for the best quarterback EVA.
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