It probably doesn’t taste as sweet as her first NASCAR victory will, but Danica Patrick’s wine apparently is pretty easy on the pallet.
Patrick’s winery in California’s Napa Valley, Somnmium Vineyard, released it’s first wine in 2014. The Cabernet Sauvignon, called Somnium, was well-received, with popular review site Wine Spectator giving it a 91 out of 100, according to NASCAR.
“(Somnium is) intense and lively, with a vivid core of blackberry, wild berry and raspberry flavors,” Wine Spectator wrote in its review, via NASCAR. “This is nicely structured, ending with a long, lingering aftertaste that keeps repeating the berry themes.”
So how exactly does one concoct a “nicely structured” bottle of wine? Well, you start by leaving your ego in the garage.
“I think the way of the valley is humble,” Patrick told NASCAR. “It’s not about Danica’s Bad Ass Red Wine. It’s not about my name; in fact, I almost think my name could take away from it if I put it on there, or used that as the only tool to sell the wine.
” … I’m sure some people find out it’s me and are curious about it, but I think the way of the valley is just so much more subtle, so much more humble. It’s not about selling your own wine, it’s about selling Napa Valley.”
Although Patrick didn’t want people solely to associate her name with the winery, she did have to develop a brand for it. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver ultimately chose the name Somnium, which means “dream” in Latin, after consulting the all-knowing Google.
“It literally took me 15 minutes on my computer crossing one language to another with different words,” the Stewart-Haas Racing driver recently told NASCAR. “The word that I kept searching in different languages was dream. I thought it had a beautiful flow to it … I like that it’s Latin, just a really, really special name.”
The Cabernet Sauvignon currently is the only wine Somnium Vineyard produces, though it planted Cabernet Franc in 2016.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports Images
