FEATURE
Dan Marino is a former NFL quarterback who played 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He has won dozens of accolades, including NFL Rookie of the Year, NFL MVP, and the 1998 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. His business partner, Damon Huard, is also a former NFL quarterback, with 12 seasons and two Super Bowl rings under his belt with the New England Patriots.
THE WINE: Passing Time
THE ATHLETE: Yao Ming
After being selected with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao Ming flourished with the Houston Rockets for nearly a decade as a fivetime NBA All-Star so much so that he became an NBA Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
THE WINE: Yao Family Wines THE STORY
Ernie Els is a former World No. 1 ranked South African pro golfer with more than 70 career victories to his name, including four major championships. Most notably, he is one of only six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Els was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, and was inducted in May 2011.
THE STORY
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Damon Huard had to travel 3,000 miles away from home to learn about the fine wines coming from his home state of Washington. It was teammate and NFL Hall of Famer, Dan Marino, who went into his personal cellar to introduce Damon to Washington State wines during the 1997 season. Over the next decade, the former QBs’ conversation about wine evolved into a discussion about owning and operating their own winery upon Huard’s retirement and returning to Washington State. Passing Time was then launched with the 2012 vintage of cabernet and released in the spring of 2015. 26 HAUTE LIVING hauteliving.com
THE WINE: Ernie Els Wines THE STORY
As a longtime lover of wine, Els sought to create a brand he could drink easily from the Helderberg region of his native South Africa. Ernie Els Wines was created in 1999, growing to four signature collections. The winery officially opened in 2005, and since then, the focus has been on producing a range of wines, with a particular focus on Cabernet Sauvignon.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PASSING TIME
THE ATHLETE: Ernie Els
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERNIE ELS WINES AND HEDLEY LAMARR/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Yao Ming first fell in love with wine after an introduction from thenteammate Dikembe Mutombo, and upon visiting Napa for the first time in 2009, realized this was how he wanted to leave a legacy. After retiring from the NBA in 2011, he founded his awardwinning Napa Valley winery, Yao Family Wines.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF YAO FAMILY WINES
THE ATHLETES: Dan Marino and Damon Huard
