Rugby and Wine: What’s Been Hiding in Our Name
I just want to write a piece about the significance of a pivot. I wouldn’t say it’s a pivot or a turning point. It’s just a realisation of what we’ve probably been hiding in our name.
Premier Ligne means front row in French. And the numbers 18 and 17 are the bench numbers for a loosehead and a tighthead prop. It’s a joke between Semisi, The Wine Chief, and me.
But we’ve just spent a weekend where ears chirp up, or we get attention, when the two words come together: rugby and wine.
I’m paraphrasing here, but we met Andrew Margan from Margan Wines and mentioned the concept of what we’re trying to do with Sips & Scrums, between rugby and wine. He said, “In Australia, New South Wales, the Hunter Valley is it. We have rugby here. It’s rugby and rugby league country, and it’s also wine country.”
“In Australia, New South Wales, the Hunter Valley is it. We have rugby here. It’s rugby and rugby league country, and it’s also wine country.”
So this is what it is. I think we’re still going to talk about wine, but in a context that’s related to what we’re known for. And where my curiosity for the world of wine, and Semisi The Wine Chief’s passion for wine, have grown.
On that thought, I was thinking of other regions and clubs that have the same identity. I did a bit of an AI search with ChatGPT, and we found a couple, like the people we met.
Andrew Margan was part of the Pokolbin Reds rugby club in the Hunter Valley. Not too far from there is Cessnock Rugby Union Club. The Maitland Blacks are down the road as well for the Hunter region. But the Pokolbin Reds, as the name says, the Reds is for red wine. Those are the clubs that identify with the two, rugby and wine.
Obviously, we know Bordeaux is a big region. And we have UBB, Union Bordeaux Bègles, who are two-time European champions in rugby. A very well-known Top 14 club. That region is well known for wine throughout the world.
Then we cross over to Burgundy, and you have CS Beaune Rugby. Head north a little bit and you have the Champagne region, with Rugby Épernay Champagne, a little rugby club.
Then you cross the ditch from Australia to New Zealand, and you’ve got the Tasman Mako. They’re the NPC team that represents Blenheim and Nelson, which is the Marlborough area in New Zealand.
Going over to South Africa, you have Maties Rugby, officially Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club, in Stellenbosch.
And then there are the people we’ve met who have lives in rugby and wine. Our good friend Pierre Durand at Hungerford Hill in the Hunter Valley. Andrew Margan. Andrew Mercer from Tyrrell’s. And Aaron Mercer from Mercer Wines. It’s interesting to meet the community that has the thread of rugby and wine. It gives us a distinct interest to explore that.
I think the discovery from this last weekend has given us a direction. And also an area where we can best serve.
Obviously, our venture into this world came with feelings of intimidation. Now there’s clarity, from these people explaining what it is and from our own experiences in the world of wine.
I think our goal is to take away the intimidation. To identify with being a rugby player who is new to this world. But now we find ourselves deeper and deeper in understanding the people behind it, the passion behind it. And adding the education and the experience to lift up the moments you’re experiencing wine, either for the first time or for the very next sip.
I just thought I’d write this bit to document it for the future of where we’re taking Premier Ligne. A lot of learnings over the weekend about what this is and what we want to do.
Join us for the journey into the future. Thank you.
Until the next sip and experience.
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