Drink Charitably!

If ever an individual changed the face of a sport, John McEnroe would certainly be a candidate in tennis.  Why am I writing about John McEnroe (you might ask) and what does this have to do with wine?  Well, today is John McEnroe’s birthday (random bit of trivia floating around in my head) and I started thinking about his career — which somehow segued into wondering if John McEnroe were a wine, what wine would he be?  Sorry about that, but it is just how my mind thinks.

I feel like I grew up with Mac – he was a year or two behind me in college and I remember him bursting into the tennis scene at Wimbledon in ‘77 (I think).  I was at UCLA at the time, soon to transfer up the coast to Cal Poly SLO.  McEnroe went to Stanford in ‘78 and started smashing records there — but went pro after only a year.  He was so entertaining to watch — you either loved him or hated him — but he was a great follow up to the Jimmy Connors act.

I loved watching…and listening to McEnroe play.  Like great wine, he really made you use all of your senses when experiencing him.  Visually, he never looked very intimidating to me, but somehow, he was.  You felt his power when you watched that powerful lefty serve and those incredible base line returns.  How could you not use your sense of hearing when watching him play (‘You cannot be serious!’)?  I won’t get into the sense of smell — just not right.  But you could almost taste the competitive spirit he exuded.  Yep — John McEnroe would make a good wine.

Over the years, his battles with Connors, Gerulitis, Wilander, and especially Bjorn Borg were some of the best tennis ever.  He ended up with 7 majors — and his loss to Borg at Wimbledon in ‘80 was maybe the best tennis match I’ve ever seen.  And what amazes me is how much we see and hear from him now at what, 50 years old?  Who would have ever thought that ’the bad boy of tennis’ would be the poster child for the sport today?  But truth be told, he really is the guy holding American tennis together.

Anyway, back to the topic — what wine would John McEnroe be if he were a wine?  Decidedly American I think.  And something rebellious, iconoclastic, maybe even a bit ‘in your face’.  I dunno — something from Randall Grahm’s Bonny Doon seems appropriate.  Maybe Cardinal Zin?  Oh shoot — I don’t think Bonny Doon owns that anymore!  OK — maybe Le Cigare Volant?  Or maybe John would be something from Twisted Oak — yes — this is it!  The Twisted Oak ’Asterisk Percent Pound Ampersand At Exclamation (*%#&@!)’ is perfect as John McEnroe!  John was known for a few expletives in his day — I think this is a match (get it?)!

Happy Birthday John — and if you are reading this — drop me a comment and let me know what wine you think you’d be.  Heck — everyone reading this — drop me a line and let me know what wine you think you’d be!