When David Beckham was recently photographed drinking a glass of wine at the Scotland vs Brazil game in the World Cup, he was pilloried by the British tabloids. They declared that ‘fans were stunned’ to see him drinking a deep red from a large-bowled, thin-stemmed glass.
The act was framed as a betrayal: wine, it was implied, has no place in football. No, beer is football’s drink – honest, proletarian, inexpensive; wine is for out-of-touch elites, cold-blooded billionaires, movie villains. There’s a reason that politicians on the campaign trail pose for endless pictures with pints (the same reason celebrities are increasingly posting reels of themselves ‘splitting the G’).
Forget the fact that football is awash with money; that top-tier players are eye-wateringly wealthy, and that many of the greatest clubs on earth are in wine-making (and wine-drinking) nations. Try telling a fan of Napoli or Real Madrid or Paris St Germain that wine isn’t for them.
The equation of beer and football is a particularly British phenomenon, with clubs arising in working-class, urban areas, often founded by factory owners. Beer was the dominant drink because it provided a low-alcohol, safe alternative to contaminated city water. The two formed an indelible association. But, with more and more footballers willing to come out as wine lovers, maybe we’re about to see a change, even in this damp, chilly isle of ours.
So, in celebration of this year’s World Cup, here are some footballers who’ve not only professed their love of wine, but put their money their mouth is, and bought into the wine business –
David Beckham – The Collector
The Beckhams’ love affair with wine began during David’s years at Real Madrid, where dinners with teammates introduced him to the rhythms of Spanish wine culture. Today, he’s known to favour cult Spanish label Pingus, and in 2008 reportedly bought Victoria a vineyard in California’s Napa Valley as a 34th birthday present.
Unlike many celebrity wine ventures, however, Beckham’s vineyard isn’t a commercial brand and the vineyard has never been publicly identified. The wines remain for private family enjoyment (although probably not Brooklyn right now).
David’s appreciation for cult wines such as Pingus also raises an interesting question: does expensive wine actually taste better, or are we paying for rarity, reputation and the story behind the bottle? We’ve explored exactly that in our guide to whether expensive wine is really worth the money.
David Silva – The Island Winemaker
When World Cup-winning Spanish footballer David Silva returned to his native Gran Canaria, he didn’t simply buy a vineyard, he set out to help showcase one of Spain’s most overlooked wine regions.
Founded in 2019, Bodegas Tamerán celebrates the island’s dramatic volcanic landscape and indigenous grape varieties. Working alongside acclaimed winemaker Jonatan García, Silva produces elegant, mineral-driven wines that couldn’t come from anywhere else. It’s a project rooted as much in regional identity as commercial ambition, introducing many drinkers to Canary Islands wine for the very first time.
Andrea Pirlo – The Obvious One
Long before football fans began joking that Pirlo looked more like a vineyard owner than a midfielder, he’d already established Pratum Coller in 2007 near Brescia, not far from where his father was born. Since retiring in 2017, the winery has become his full-time focus.
Its flagship wine, Arduo, blends Sangiovese with Marzemino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon before spending 19 months in French oak. Like Pirlo himself, it’s structured, composed and quietly confident rather than attention-seeking.
Andre Manz – The Accidental Conservationist
Few footballers can claim to have saved an almost extinct grape variety.
After a hand injury ended goalkeeper André Manz’s career, he settled with his family in Portugal’s Bucelas region, north of Lisbon, and bought a small vineyard. The existing vines produced delicious wine, but nobody knew exactly what variety they were. When specialists were called in, they identified the grape as Jampal, one of Portugal’s rarest indigenous varieties.
Manz expanded plantings, and today more than thirty hectares of Jampal grow in the region. His second career didn’t just produce wine, it helped rescue a piece of Portugal’s viticultural heritage.
Andrés Iniesta – A Family Affair
For Andrés Iniesta, wine has always been part of home.
His family planted vineyards in La Manchuela during the 1990s, but it wasn’t until 2010, the same extraordinary year he scored Spain’s World Cup-winning goal, that they began bottling wines under the Bodega Iniesta name.
Today the estate champions indigenous Spanish grapes including Macabeo, Bobal and Graciano, producing wines that reflect the landscape where Iniesta grew up. It feels fitting that one of Spain’s most beloved footballers should spend his post-playing years celebrating another of the country’s great cultural exports.
If seeing your fav footballer’s enjoy a glass of wine has inspired you to swap the pint for a bottle, then you might find these of interest:
Best White Wines for Beginners – All the styles to discover what you’ll love.
Best Red Wines for Beginners – Smooth, approachable bottles that make getting into red wine easy.