Together, we can turn wine into a beverage of the ballpark
When you think of summer, what's the first beverage that comes to mind? Assuming our various heat waves haven't already melted your brain, it's probably something cool, crisp, refreshing -- a spritzer on the patio, or a mimosa at brunch, or a bottle of white smuggled into the park on a Saturday afternoon.
But when it comes to America's quintessential summer activity -- a trip to the ballpark -- we think of only one thing: beer. And look, beer is fine. I like beer. I drink beer. But I also like wine. I contain multitudes, and I demand a stadium selection that does the same.
It doesn't have to be this way. Together, we can be the change. Together, we can make wine -- the nectar of the gods -- into a baseball beverage.
It used to be insane to think of eating anything other than a hot dog at a ballpark. Now, it's like a tour through Epcot. There are even people lining up to eat crickets for god's sake, and we don't blink an eye. But we draw the line at a glass of rosé? I'm not even asking for something complex because, frankly, I wouldn't understand it anyway. Call it a color, pour it out of a bag, whatever you have to do, just let the wine start flowing freely.
It's been done before! 42 years ago this season, wine made its big league debut when the Giants started slinging it at Candlestick Park. Of course, the stuff they used wasn't the best: According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it came from a company in Fresno best known for providing low-cost bulk wine to local churches. But who could argue when the price was so good: "A glass of Cribari, poured from a screw-top bottle, cost 75 cents at the concession stand, or $1 from a vendor."
And where are those wine vendors now? Don't you want to live in a world in which the shouts of "Rosé! I got ice cold rosé here" ring out in aisles across the country?
No less than Ernest Hemingway said these words (if a Google search can be trusted):
“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”
And Hemingway loved baseball. He wrote a letter to his Dad begging him to take him to a game. He wrote a whole book about a guy who couldn't stop thinking about Joe DiMaggio enough to focus on the fish he was trying to catch. He knew the value of both drinking wine and baseball, so let's join him in making the call for more.
Sure, some teams are already ahead of the curve. The Giants -- perhaps thanks to their aforementioned history -- have plenty of wine available throughout the park. The Phillies have wine throughout the concourse. But too often teams treat drinking wine as a special event, when in reality it deserves to be treated as an everyday option. As any college sophomore can tell you, you don't need to be classy to enjoy wine; you just need to have a pulse.
A night of wine and baseball!
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 8, 2019
Pinot in the Park returns to MMP on Friday! Enjoy a pregame event with wine tastings, gifts, and more. For details and to purchase a package, visit https://t.co/BfsRNXF2zS. pic.twitter.com/ROWbgwvEK0
So, I need you, fellow fans, to join with me. Hop into the bleachers, bust out a glass and start the revolution.
Michael Clair writes for MLB.com. He spends a lot of time thinking about walk-up music and believes stirrup socks are an integral part of every formal outfit.
