Sports Illustrated: Gameplan
Go, Bo! Coach's wines are back
Bo Merlot as robust as the man
Feature for the Essential Shopper
Bo Merlot Celebrates A Coaching Legend
BO’S WINE OF U OF M FOOTBALL TEAM
Go, Bo! Coach's wines are back
Posted Aug 27th 2009 12:00PM by The Detroit News
Filed under: Eats & Drinks
by: Sandra Silfven; Wine
Bo Merlot was so hot last year that most of it sold by the close of the 2008 University of Michigan football season.
Now, just in time for the 2009 kickoff on Sept. 5 in Ann Arbor, the producer of this brand dedicated to the late U-M Coach Bo Schembechler has released a new vintage of the Merlot and added a dry white, "Bo Blanc," a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.
And this time, there should be more bottles in wider distribution around the metro area and the state to satisfy alumni.
"We found last year, we has requests from alumni who could not find it. We are trying for as much distribution as possible this year," says Marlena Studer of Studer Enterprises, who was picked by Schembelcher's wife Cathy to carry out the project.
Both new vintages feature a photo of the late coach, different from last year's, which makes the bottles more collectible.
The new Merlot, $19.69 (borrowing numbers for the year 1969, when Schembechler was named hear coach and stunned the Ohio State Buckeyes in an upset victory), is sourced from Monterey County, Calif.
Typical of Monterey reds, it offers a slam of ripe plums, black licorice and brown spices. The Sauvignon Blanc, $16.99, from Sonoma, is more tropical in style than austere, with a round, honeyed finish, thanks to a little added Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay.
Two dollars from the sale of each bottle will go to the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center. Last year, the Merlot added more than $43,000 to the center's coffers. This year, the goal is triple that amount. Schembechler founded his Heart of a Champion Fund to fight heart disease before he died in 2006.
"We found it was very rewarding to work with a project that raises money for a nonprofit and to work with a celebrity who wanted a legacy with his name in it," says Studer, who founded StarWorks Cellars in Monterey, Calif., to make the wine.
Studer has the wines in Kroger and Busch's stores now, and says they also will be sold at Meijer, Nino Salvaggio, Randazzo and many independent wine shops. D&W and Spartan picked them up, too, for outstate sales.
Bo Wine Events
- Sept. 5: Before the Western Michigan game, a tailgate party in the Kroger parking lot, 1919 Industrial St., Ann Arbor. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sept. 12: Before the Notre Dame game, tailgate party and pig roast in Busch's parking lot, 2240 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Sept. 26: Before the Indiana game, tailgate party in the Plum Market parking lot, 375 N. Maple Road. 9 a.m. to noon.
- Information: Go to www.bowines.com
Weekend wine & food fest
The ninth annual Wine & Food Festival at Meadow Brook will take place from 1-9:30 p.m. Saturday and 1-5:30 p.m. Sunday in Rochester Hills. Enjoy wines from top Michigan wineries and brands from around the world, plus foods by local restaurants and vendors. As sponsor, Kroger will have a tent featuring free samplings of "Select Michigan" foods. Tickets for adults are $18 in advance and $25 at the event, and include eight wine samples, food seminars and live entertainment. Designated driver tickets are $10 and include two free soft drinks. Tickets for youths are 12-17 are $5, and those younger than 12 get in free. For advance tickets, call (800) 745-3000