In recent years, five former professional athletes transitioned from crushing their opponents on the basketball court, gridiron or pitch to crushing grapes sourced from the Willamette Valley.
During Drew Bledsloe’s 14-year NFL career, he sampled wines from around the world and became impressed with how the wines from his hometown of Walla Walla “kicked ass.” After his retirement, he returned to Walla Walla, Washington, where he adapted the team-building skills he learned on the gridiron to overseeing a wine portfolio. “In both endeavors, we are always trying to find the right plan for a particular season, along with embracing adversity as an opportunity to evolve and get better,” he says.
In addition to three estate vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley, Bledsoe purchased Coulee Vineyard in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills in 2021. There they grow estate grown, single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. As a nod to longtime winemaker Josh McDaniels, they created the label Bledsoe|McDaniels, where they specialize in Willamette Valley Pinot Noir along with three very small production single-vineyard Syrahs from the Walla Walla Valley.
In addition to overseeing Bledsoe Family Winery, Bledsoe passes along his knowledge to other former players such as Sidney Rice, formerly with the Seattle Seahawks. In 2021, Rice and real estate developer Tim Lenihan opened Dossier Wine Collective to highlight Walla Walla’s place on the global stage. After adding Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and Syrah sourced from the Columbia Valley, they decided to venture into the Willamette Valley by adding Pinot Noir to their portfolio. While the exact name of their vineyard remains proprietary, the source for these grapes will be designated as “Rice Vineyard” on the label. Rice also hopes to collaborate with fellow athlete Channing Frye, founder of Chosen Family Wines in Lake Oswego.
Frye felt the Willamette Valley’s wines speak to him during his days as a basketball player with the Portland Trailblazers. After forming an inseparable bond with his fellow teammate and current Miami Heat star Kevin Love during the 2016 NBA championships, they decided to create Chosen Family Wines in collaboration with L’Angolo Estate in Newberg, Oregon. Channing and his wife Lauren chose this name after reflecting on Frye’s after-practice dinners. Over their shared love of wine, his close friends and teammates became their chosen family. Chosen Family’s current portfolio includes Willamette Valley Rosé, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with a Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain, and a Syrah from Walla Walla.
In this industry, Frye feels like he’s become a rookie again who has the opportunity to grow and hone his talents, while also paying it forward to help others. For example, he supports The Roots Fund, a nonprofit committed to investing in communities of color in the wine industry.
Joining Frye in the Willamette Valley is CJ McCollum, another former Portland Trailblazer whom he’s known for a long time. In 2020, he launched McCollum Heritage 91 with his wife, Elise, who introduced him to wine in college. The name stems from their last name and the vintage year of CJ’s birth year of 1991.
They released their first vintage, a 2018 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir, in 2020 and purchased a 318-acre property in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA the following year. Currently, they have 56 planted acres and had their first harvest of their estate fruit last fall.
“We respect people from all walks of life, the environment and soil,” McCollum says of his winery’s mission. “With that in mind, we wanted to create a thoughtful family wine brand built on respect, love, passion and legacy. We created a wine for everyone to enjoy. We see wine as a gateway to uniting people together while creating memorable experiences, moments and stories that will last a lifetime. As a family project, our journey is only just beginning, and we are excited to continue to grow and mature.”
As a team player, McCollum chose to partner in this venture with the winemakers at Adelsheim Vineyard, one of the Oregon wine pioneers. In describing this partnership, he points to Adelsheim’s history of excellence, sustainability and innovation in the Oregon wine community and beyond. “We have a mutual admiration for each other. They also have been very instrumental in our wine growth and development by opening up their business and allowing us to learn firsthand what it’s like to be successful in the wine world and have provided us with education and mentorship,” McCollum reflects.
Diego Valeri, retired star of the Portland Timbers, represents the latest addition to this lineup of athletes turned Willamette Valley winemakers. Valeri and his wife, Flor, along with close friends Federico and Luci started a wine label together called Conur Wines. This venture represents their journey to connect the authenticity of Argentine winemaking with Oregon’s innovative winemaking practices. Their wines are made by Brian Irvine, then tasted and refined by Valeri and his team with the team at Northwest Wine Company handling the branding and distribution.
Currently, they produce three distinct wines that speak to their family and friendships. Mate, a balanced and mineral white blend made from local grapes, is designed to mimic the flavor profile of the Torrontés grape in Argentina. Their Oregon Pinot Noir Sote is named for Luci and Federico’s dog that passed away. The labels for “General,” a Malbec with grapes sourced from Columbia Valley, speak to Valeri’s sporting career.
Moving forward, expect to see Bledsoe, Rice, Frye, McCollum and Valeri continue their spirit of teamwork and excellence by continuing to apply the skills they utilized in their award-winning sporting careers to their new playing fields in the Willamette Valley. In reflecting on his relationship with Frye, McCollum says, “I love to see him continuing to be a game changer in this space proving the fact that we can be multifaceted as athletes and entrepreneurs in many different sectors.”
