Call it a swing-and-a-miss for Nats drinkers. Major League Baseball Properties just announced the launch of a Washington Nationals brand wine, created through a partnership with Wine by Design. The only problem: nothing about it, besides the label, really says Washington.
According to a press release, the 18 wines created for teams in the American and National league are “tailored for each team market.” What does that mean for Washington? Very little. The Nationals 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is made with grapes from California’s Central Coast—no Virginia Cab Franc?— and the wine itself seems to be identical to the Baltimore Orioles Cab, according to details on the Bounty Hunter website. Huh. Geographical coincidence? Nope, looks like the Minnesota Twins have the same wine as well.
At least Washington’s blurb is different, though it employs all the usual Beltway cliches: traffic angst (solution: drink wine), serious Capitol Hill business (blah, drink more wine). What can we say? High-powered, stressed-out Washingtonians just like their wine, though the baseball varietal comes at a price: $60 for a three-pack, or roughly the price of five tickets to a weekday Nats game.
Still in search of liquid Nats pride? Try beer. DC’s Atlas Brew Works created the 1500 South Cap Lager exclusively for Nationals Park, a pale brew made with summer ballpark drinking in mind. Boston-based Sam Adams also partnered with the team for the Nats Anniversary IPA, sold only at the Red Porch and a few other spots in the stadium.
Maybe the Nats should just steer clear of wine. And for that matter, ladies’ night.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
