NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens has entered the wine business and now has his own label called ... [+]
Maxx LepselterDuring his rookie year with the San Francisco 49ers, Terrell Owens went to a fancy restaurant in the Bay Area as part of a team function.
The waiter asked for his wine order, but the neophyte wide receiver from Alexander City, Ala., a town of about 15,000, didn’t know the difference between white or red wines. So fullback William Floyd ordered for him.
Owens found his first taste to be dry and pasty.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is not to my liking,’” Owens said. “I’d never really thought in a million years that I would’ve had my own wine.”
Instead, about three decades later, the 47-year-old Owens not only has become a wine connoisseur, but also launched his own label — Eighty-One, a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon — in December of 2020.
Eighty-One refers to his uniform number, and 1,078 — the number of receptions he had during his Hall of Fame career — bottles have been produced.
Even though he played eight years in San Francisco — nestled near Napa Valley — Owens never really drank wine.
“(I) just didn’t have the palate for it at that moment of time,” he said.
In fact, the health and fitness freak didn’t even drink during the football season.
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But during the last couple of years, his friend and former UCLA star/Chicago Bears quarterback Cade McNown had him over for dinners at his Hollywood Hills, Calif. home. Cade’s wife, Christina, made a delicious brown rice and chicken meal with zucchini, and they asked Owens to bring over the wine, giving him detailed instruction via text.
Owens then took a liking to it.
He started as a fan of sweet whites like Riesling but gravitated to red wines.
Wide receiver Terrell Owens of the San Francisco 49ers breaks a tackle by Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... [+]
Getty ImagesBecause of Owens’ newfound passion of the grape, his marketing representatives reached out to Tommy Lasorda’s, and they formed a partnership with Lasorda Family Wines.
The Hall of Fame manager became integral to Owens’ new business.
“I wouldn’t have been able to really bring this venture to fruition had it not been for his blessings,” Owens said. “I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Lasorda Family Wines began collaborating with Paso Robles, Calif., winemaker Terry Culton in 2016 to produce its first vintage.
Its roots, though, go back even further. Tommy Lasorda’s father, Sabatino, used to make wine in his home, and that love of the grape was passed on to his son.
Tommy Lasorda passed away at the age of 93 on Jan. 7, but the Los Angeles Dodgers icon is not the only L.A. sports legend honored by Owens’ label.
Eighty-One is also a nod to Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points — the second most ever in NBA history — on Jan. 22, 2006.
Bryant grew up in Philadelphia, rooting for the Eagles, who Owens, a passionate basketball fan, led to the Super Bowl in 2004. The two transcendent athletes were both rookies in 1996 and met three years later.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Owens said.
Owens’ athleisure clothing line, Prototype 81, consists of men’s and women’s hoodies, joggers, crop tops, leggings and activewear, and 10% of the proceeds will go to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the nonprofit dedicated to creating a positive impact for undeserved and female athletes and founded in the memory of Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
Fashion and wine are not only Owens’ only pursuits.
He has a popular weekly podcast called “Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. & Hatch.” Since January of 2020, he has co-hosted it with his friend and former NFL receiver, Matthew Hatchette, who he actually met an airport.
Known for his outspokenness, Owens seemed like a natural to have a post-NFL media career. While Owens was with the Dallas Cowboys, former running back (and the father of Hall of Fame basketball player Grant Hill) even told the receiver that he would excel on camera.
But Owens prefers the podcast medium.
“I don’t really see myself as a commentator or analyst by any means,” Owens said. “Do I have the knowledge? Do I have probably the camera presence to do it? Absolutely. But it just wasn’t a passion or an interest of mine.”
His main passion right now is wine.
Hall of Famer Terrell Owens poses with his new wine label, Eighty-One.
Maxx LepselterEighty-One went into production in January of 2000, but the grapes were harvested in 2017.
The full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has a ripe black cherry and cinnamon stick aroma, leading to a palate of plum preserves, dark chocolate and spicy toasted oak.
It pairs well with red meat like steak and lamb.
“It’s very smooth,” Owens said. “I’m very pleased and satisfied with where it is right now.”
It sells for $39.99, but a bottle bearing the autograph of the receiver, who memorably pulled a Sharpie out of his sock to sign a football after scoring a touchdown in 2002, costs $135.
Owens sees this label as just the start of a burgeoning wine business.
“If this is a success — and I’m thinking and hoping it will be,” he said, “we’ll transition into some other wines.”
January 27, 2021 at 08:00PM
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Former San Francisco 49ers Star Terrell Owens Launches His Own Wine Label - Forbes
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