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BUILDING BETTER BEVERAGE BUSINESS ™
Journals In this Issue
An interview with Charles Woodson Proprietor of Intercept Wines
The legendary Heisman Trophy recipient, Super Bowl champion and past NFL Defensive MVP talks about his transformation from intercepting footballs to running his own wine label, Intercept Wines. Volume 14
Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
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SHARE THE JOURNEY Charles Woodson brings the same passion and hard work to his wine as his once-in-a-lifetime football career. With Intercept, the defensive great delivers a Paso Robles wine with diversity and complexity that reflect his own storied journey. cwinterceptwines.com | @interceptwines
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Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2020 Intercept Winery, Parlier, CA | 14.5% alc. by volume
All images by photographer Christina Schmidhofer
Charles and Amanda sampling in the barrel room.
Charles played college football for the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997. Woodson, a “twoway player” who played both offense and defense, won the Heisman Trophy in the same year, beating out Peyton Manning and Randy Moss. To date, he is the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman, and he is the most recent player to win the Heisman who was not either a running back or quarterback. He is an 18-year NFL veteran, former NFL
Defensive MVP, Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl defensive back. The veteran player played his final season in 2015 and is considered by many of his peers to be one of the greatest defensive players to have ever played. Now, Charles’ focus is on his wine business. His Intercept wines are his passion — affordable, quality wines from Paso Robles and Monterey County vineyards. Together with O’Neill Vintners & Distillers and Winemaker Amanda Gorter, Charles develops each varietal to complement his distinct preferences. “Intercept reflects my personal journey, my experience and my taste. I’m a California guy — I like big, bold Cabs and I like fruit-forward flavors, all of which you get in Intercept Wines.” – Charles Woodson Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
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in the Mix - How did the transition happen from football to the wine business? Charles Woodson – My love of wine happened organically while in Napa Valley during training camp while I was playing for the Oakland Raiders in the late ‘90s. There I developed a great appreciation for wine and the people around it. As my career went along, more of the players started getting into wine. On road trips, we would bring bottles and break bread together. It was an experience that bonded us and made me realize how unifying wine can be. in the Mix - The winemaking playbook is a bit different from your defensive football strategies. What was the hardest thing to learn in your new wine trade?
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Charles Woodson – Navigating the three-tier system can be difficult to wrap your head around at times. I think a lot of people who get into this industry don’t fully comprehend the level of complexity there. An event or a pricing strategy can be perfectly legal in one state, but not in another. On the other hand, it’s a blessing to have an extended national team of distributor partners who are helping grow your brand. They are the boots on the ground day-to-day, the players making it happen. in the Mix - With wine being much more mainstream among football viewers at home, in bars, while tailgating and in the stadium, do you hope to connect with these fans to get them to try your wines?
Charles Woodson – Absolutely. I often hear from my fans on social media that they don’t normally drink wine, but once they grabbed a bottle of Intercept before a game, they found they really enjoy it. I’m hopeful that Intercept not only connects with current wine drinkers, but also brings new ones into the category. Launching Intercept at a more affordable price point has helped me connect with a much wider range of people, and the feedback so far has been fantastic. in the Mix - How did you get hooked up with O’Neill Vintners and Distillers? Charles Woodson – I’d been thinking about making a less expensive wine brand [than his first wine venture, TwentyFour Wines] for several years. Some industry friends of mine connected me with several wineries that could produce the quality I was looking for. When it came to O’Neill, I was just blown away. Between their capabilities, their sustainability efforts, their overall approach to brand building, and Jeff O’Neill’s philosophy on partnership and teamwork, I knew I had found my people. in the Mix - Tell us about the label — it looks like a lion, but did you ever play for the Lions? Charles Woodson – Good catch. I did not play for the Lions, but the lion has always been a symbolic thing for me. When you watch a lion, he’s in action, he’s moving, he’s taking initiative. That’s often how I felt as a player. Lions also live in prides and hunt in packs. They are formidable alone, but stronger together. That is not any different from football – or winemaking. Something most people don’t know is that the color of the lion on each varietal is an homage to my teams. The
Chardonnay is blue for Michigan, the Pinot Noir is silver for The Raiders, the Cabernet is gold for The Packers, and the Red Blend is bronze, which represents this new ‘team’ in my career. in the Mix - Let’s talk about the Red Blend and its five different grape varietals. How did you arrive at the final blend? Charles Woodson – A lot of credit is due to my amazing Winemaker, Amanda Gorter. Amanda and I first collaborated on what I prefer from each wine. In a red blend, that is a fuller body, complex fruit, and a long finish. From there, Amanda looked at what varietals are true to Paso Robles and thrive in that climate. Petite Sirah and Zinfandel make up the bulk of the blend, with some Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, and Syrah to round it out. It’s an incredible wine. in the Mix - Your Pinot Noir is a Monterey appellation. Tell us a bit about the composition. Charles Woodson – The Pinot Noir is special because it was the number one requested varietal from my fans. Monterey tends to be a better climate for Pinot than Paso Robles given that it’s milder, and the fruit quality there is unbelievable. Amanda ferments in stainless steel and then ages the Pinot for 14 months in a mix of French and Eastern European oak. Before Intercept, I wasn’t a huge Pinot guy, but now I’ve been converted. in the Mix - Tell us about the Chardonnay — where it’s from and the fermentation process. Charles Woodson – The 2019 Chardonnay is actually from a single vineyard in Monterey. We harvested in the early morning and the grapes were gently pressed. The juice fermented in barrels Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
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a blend of French and Eastern European and stainless steel. Then it was aged sur lie for 6 months. I like my Chardonnay’s to be very balanced, not too oaky or too acidic, so that’s what the Intercept Chardonnay brings to the table. in the Mix - You mentioned you love big, fruit-forward Cabs. What is the profile of yours? Charles Woodson – You guessed it – big and fruit-forward. When it comes to Cab I’m a new world guy. I love Cabs from Napa and Alexander Valley, and - of course - Paso Robles. Amanda targets vineyard sites with good exposure to craft a juicy, full-bodied Cab. The wine spends 18 months aging in French and Eastern European oak, so it’s ready to drink without harsh tannins.
in the Mix - You have mentioned one of the big parallels you see between wine and football is teamwork. How do you and Amanda Gorter work together to craft these wines? Charles Woodson – Amanda is so great to work with. She and I initially worked through what I prefer in each varietal, which required a lot of sampling and blending. This year was our second harvest, and I was able to make it out to Paso Robles for that. Throughout the year, we connect virtually to taste through samples and discuss how vintages are coming along. in the Mix - In 2005 you launched a highend Napa wine brand, TwentyFour. Why did you select Paso Robles and Monterey for Intercept?
Summer 2014 • itmmag.com
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Charles Woodson – With Intercept I knew I wanted to start with Chardonnay, Cab, Pinot, and the Red. As we thought about California wine regions, we just couldn’t ignore the quality coming out of Paso and Monterey. Both are such exciting regions that feel very authentic. I was surprised to learn that Paso has the highest diurnal range of any wine region in California, which gives you such ripe fruit that can maintain acidity and flavors. The climate, the land, the people; it just felt right there. in the Mix - in the Mix, an IMI Agency production, caters to the national on-premise sector. What would you like to say to the operators reading this about why you feel your wines should have a place in their program? Charles Woodson – First I want to say thank you for your consideration, and for your grit this past year. I know 2020 was devastating to the on-premise, and the resiliency and flexibility I’ve seen from you all have been world-class. I have always thought that wine was universal – that it brings people together. My hope is that Intercept connects with so many types of consumers; from sports fans, to novices, to people traditionally underrepresented in wine. In my humble opinion, the quality of these wines overdelivers for their price point, which was always the intention. I can assure you no corners were cut when making Intercept wines. If I have learned one thing in my career, it’s that there’s no substitute for hard work. 8