I suppose that if you’re a once-dominant NBA center and the face of an entire nation’s athletic ambitions, you’re probably going to want to branch out when that basketball career is cut short by nagging injuries. Such is the case with former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, who is going to use his athletic fame to propel him into the next phase of his professional life – wine maker.
Yao Ming Wine will be available for purchase for the first time ever this Sunday at an auction benefiting the Special Olympics East Asia. But whether you’re a Sino Sommelier or just a guy who loves to get drunk, it’s going to take a little bit of effort to get your hands on a bottle of Yao.
Yao’s new Napa Valley wine company, Yao Family Wines, has released its inaugural wine under the name “Yao Ming: a 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon”.
It comes in a magnum bottle – meaning it can hold 1.5 liters of wine – costs 3,800 yuan ($596) a pop and is extremely rare. None of the 1,200 bottles in existence will be sold on the open market.
(Via China Daily)
Bidders will also have a chance to purchase a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes and jacket that were made specifically for Yao, so if you’re a lanky 7-footer and you’ve got a few thousand yuan burning a hole in your pocket, then this is the auction for you.
In the meantime, if you’re bummed that you can’t get your hands on a bottle of an athlete’s wine, perhaps you can joy some of my own personal NBA player booze, including Larry’s Thunder Bird, Cherokee Parks Hooch, Alan Ogg Nog, Hedo Turkoglu’s Sweat, and Christian Laettner Wine Coolers.
