baseball and wine

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Colorado Rockies themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Rockies fan? 

The Colorado Rockies may be one of Major League Baseball's youngest teams, but they have made it into the record books many times since their debut season in 1993.  During that 1993 season, the Rockies broke the record for highest Opening Day attendance, the record for reaching the one-million, two-million, three-million and four-million single-season attendance mark more quickly than any other team and the record for highest single-season total home game attendance (4,483,350).  Although the team did not have a winning season, finishing 67-95, the Rockies also set a record for most games won by a National League expansion team.  Clearly, baseball and Colorado fans were meant for each other.

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Seattle Mariners themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Mariners fan?

The Seattle Mariners first took the field in 1977, after the city's former baseball team, the Pilots, moved to Milwaukee.  The Mariners are owned by Nintendo of America and have the unfortunate distinction of never having played in a World Series.  Nevertheless, Mariners fans proudly stand by their team; fan loyalty is one of the team's greatest assets.

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Atlanta Braves themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Braves fan?

The Atlanta Braves' history dates back to the very beginnings of Major League Baseball.  The team actually predates Major League Baseball by a few years, joining the National League as the Boston Red Stockings in 1876, five years after its founding.  The Braves and Cubs share the honor of being the oldest teams in the National League.  The team has played under a variety of names, including the Boston Beaneaters (1883), the Boston Doves (1907) and the Boston Braves (1912).  The team won its first World Series in 1914 as the Boston Braves.  In 1936 the team changed its name to the Boston Bees, but reverted to its former name in 1941.

The Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953 and the team won its second World Series four years later, in 1957.  In 1966, the team moved again, this time to Atlanta, where it has remained ever since.  The Braves began to attract a lot of attention when media mogul Ted Turner bought the team in 1976, showcasing games on his television station and thus bringing Braves baseball into homes across the country.  Of course, the team's winning ways and strong rosters helped ratings, especially when the Braves won 14 division titles, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series in the years between 1991 and 2005.

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Milwaukee Brewers themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Brewers fan?

The Milwaukee Brewers are named for the industry that made their city famous – and it definitely wasn't winemaking.  When new owner Bud Selig rescued the bankrupt Seattle Pilots and brought them to Milwaukee after their 1969 debut season, he deliberately named the team for the brewers that create the city's well-known beers.  Milwaukee baseball fans were thrilled to have a team once again (the Milwaukee Braves had moved to Atlanta after the 1965 season), and were especially pleased when Selig added popular, talented players like Hank Aaron, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount to the Brewers' roster.

The Brewers' first few seasons were, predictably, less than stellar, but by the late 1970s the team was winning consistently, thanks to the efforts of Yount, Molitor, Ben Ogilvie, Cecil Cooper and several other strong players.  In the strike year of 1981, the Brewers made it to the shortened American League Division Series, but lost to the Yankees.  The next year, the Brewers were back, ready to finish what they had begun the previous season.  They made it all the way to the 1982 World Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, despite the excellent work of players like Pete Vuckovich and Robin Young.