![]() During dinner, Coach Vermeil stood up and made a toast. "His initial dive into the wine world is impressive," Robert Parker wrote in The Wine Advocate. Given the oppressive mid-Atlantic heat, I especially enjoyed Vermeil's 2008 Sauvignon Blanc-enough that I may test the limits of the Atlantic's expense account to acquire more of it. Standouts at our table were a pan-roasted Atlantic tuna belly paired with a 2004 Frediani Vineyard Syrah, and a citrus-cured Arctic char with bacon, capers, red onion that was paired with a rare 2005 Charbone. Dinner at BlackSalt featured Vermeil Wines with a five-course tasting menu from Executive Chef Richard Cook. Vermeil Wines bottled 1,900 cases in 2008, and 5,000 cases last year. But two years ago, after he retired from football, Vermeil and wine maker Paul Smith of Frediani Vineyard (who he has dubbed his "offensive coordinator") decided to upgrade wine-making from hobby to business. Vermeil's success in the NFL kept wine-making a hobby. The first vintage of Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon was corked shortly before the Rams won the Super Bowl. "It never had a label," Vermeil said, "but the new vintage debuted every Thanksgiving and it was a big family tradition." Vermeil took up wine-making as a hobby in 1999, using grapes grown on the land that his great-grandfather once owned, which has passed to the Frediani family. ![]() His paternal great grandfather, Jean Louis Vermeil, made the family wine. His great grandfather on his mother's side, Garibaldi Iaccheri, had owned a large vineyard. ![]() He explained that he'd been raised in Calistoga, the northernmost town in Napa Valley. I was curious how Vermeil became interested in wine. Fletcher now boasts a substantial wine cellar, and was thinking of purchasing several cases from his old coach. "He used to take groups of us out for wine dinners back in 1998 when I was a rookie and he was coaching the Rams," Fletcher said. (Not one of them owns a steakhouse.) Over a glass of Vermeil Wines 2005 Zinfandel, Fletcher, who led the Washington Redskins in tackles last year, told me that Vermeil had taught him about wine. They turned out to be Chris Samuels, London Fletcher, and Shawn Springs, and all were wine aficionados-a revelation soon followed by others that swiftly disabused me of several enduring stereotypes. What gave it away were the hulking NFL players crowded around "Coach Vermeil," as he is affectionately known. When we arrived at BlackSalt two nights ago, locating the Vermeil party wasn't difficult. ![]() Since the evening combined three of my great pleasures-football, BlackSalt, and wine-I enlisted a pair of like-minded friends and RSVP'ed. The point is, wine-making seemed a daring break from form. John Madden may or may not own Outback Steakhouse, but he's on TV a lot talking about it. It's not that it's unusual for a pro football coach to have a second career in the world of food and beverages. I was not aware that Dick Vermeil had become a winemaker, and the news struck me as hilariously incongruous. The occasion was designed to introduce people to Dick Vermeil's wines. Recently, my favorite Washington DC restaurant, BlackSalt, invited patrons to a dinner hosted by Dick Vermeil, the legendary football coach. ![]()
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