New consumers and new occasions are on every winery’s wish list these days. You can sit around and wait for things to happen or you can go out and try to help people discover wine and find a reason to drink it. You might not think that a circus performance is the obvious occasion for a glass of wine (or that the families that attend such events are obvious potential customers), but old thinking won’t necessarily solve the problem.

That’s how Sue and I ended up at a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s  KOOZA traveling show enjoying Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Stags’ Leap Winery, the show’s official wine  partner.

Follow the Crowds?

Whoever said the only places to enjoy a glass of wine are the restaurants, bars, and your dinner table at home? Wine should go where people go. Follow the money, Deep Throat said. Follow the crowds is good wine advice today. And pour them a glass of wine.

And so wine has slowly and now suddenly started to appear in places you might not expect, including sports events and entertainment venues of all sorts, including Cirque du Soleil.

I know that wine is no stranger at sports competitions from watching Formula 1 auto racing over the years. Ferrari Trento has been the official podium sparkling wine sponsor for several years, for example, before being replaced by LVMH’s Moët & Chandon last year. But is F1 and wine an isolated case?

AI Intern Report

I asked my artificial intelligence intern if wine and sports linkups were very common and it quickly came up with an interesting list, starting with the partnership between Concha y Toro’s Cassillero del Diablo brand and the Manchester United Football Club (a.k.a. the Red Devils). United is having a poor season, so stadium fans may especially appreciate a glass of Chilean red.

Australia’s Hardy’s wine brand sponsors English Cricket, my intern noted, a relationship that might get awkward during The Ashes test matches. And Trivento is the official wine sponsor of English Premiership Rugby. Wine and sports seem to be a perfect pairing in Britain.

So it is obvious that many international wineries already see sports as a way to connect with sports fans around the world. What about U.S. wineries? Well, yes, my AI intern, replied. U.S. wineries are quite active in this arena and the connection is not as contrived as you might think. Many famous NBA and NFL players are known wine lovers, for example. Some even have their own wine brands.  Examples  of American wine and sports connections? My intern reports …

• Jackson Family Wines has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
• Copper Cane Wines & Spirits: Partnered with five Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Atlanta Braves. Copper Cane is also linked to several National Hockey League teams.
• Gallo is the official wine partner of the National Football League.
• Argentina’s Trivento is the wine partner of Major League Soccer.
• Nobilo Winery: Official wine sponsor of the U.S. National Pickleball Club.

Wine Goes to the Circus

Stags’ Leap Winery, part of Treasury Wine Estates’ California winery collection, is official sponsor of Cirque du Soleil’s “big top” shows all over the world. Clearly Cirque du Soleil benefits from its association with a famous wine brand. And wine in general and Stags’ Leap Winery in particular benefit from the opportunity for face time (and lip time) with an audience that comes to be surprised, amazed, and delighted. That’s how people think of Cirque du Soleil and that’s how we’d like them to think about wine, don’t you think?

Sue and I were particularly pleased to receive an invitation to attend a performance of KOOZA under the big top in Redmond, Washington (we were Stags’ Leap Winery’s guests ) because we remember the program’s creator, David Shiner, so well from his Seattle theater days.  He worked with fellow clown Bill Irwin on the Tony-winning “Fool Moon.”

We had a wonderful time. We were surprised, amazed, and delighted by the show and very happy both to sip our Cabernet Sauvignon and to watch other audience members enjoying perhaps their first taste of “circus wine.”  The wine-circus partnership impressed us as subtle and classy, as you might expect. Circus goers were no doubt surprised to have the opportunity to enjoy such high-quality wines at an entertainment event.

We had high hopes for this partnership and the experience exceeded our expectations. Cirque du Soleil provides a first-class experience from start to finish; partnering with a first-class wine brand makes sense for both parties. We came away with even better feelings toward both Cirque du Soleil and Stags’ Leap Winery. Can’t wait for the circus (and the circus wine) be come back to town.