From Ian Botham to Ricky Ponting, ex-cricketers' second innings in the business of wines

Ben Riggs and Ricky Ponting. Ponting and his wife Rianna teamed up with Australian winemaker Ben Riggs to launch Ponting Wines in 2020. Earlier this week, Ponting launched his collection, which includes a Shiraz and a Cabarnet Sauvignon, at the Delhi Duty Free.

Considering the way he played his cricket and led his life, most people would tend to associate the legendary English cricketer Ian Botham with beer. Of course, ‘Beefy’ is said to have chugged a lot of it during his playing days, but he is also a connoisseur of wine and the man who catalysed his love affair with it was none other than John Arlott.

On bothamwines.com, the 67-year-old recounts the story of his initiation into the world of wines by the famous commentator. “My introduction to wine came at the tender age of 17. I was playing for Somerset CCC and was given the important task of carrying the late John Arlott’s wicker basket to the radio commentary box. Inside this basket was his new selection of Beaujolais, French cheese and baguettes. He asked me if I drank wine and I said, 'No sir, I’m from Somerset and drink cider'. A few days later we happened to be on the same train to London and this was where I had my first sip of wine. That sip cemented not only a lasting friendship with John, but also a continuing passion for wine. John was a lover of French wine, as the years went by and my wine knowledge grew, I started to introduce him to new world wines; it took the Penfold Grange for him to begrudgingly admit that it was 'not bad!!' When John passed away, my father-in-law and I would take a fine bottle to his grave side and share it while looking back at memories before leaving the cork – there are many corks in that Alderney grave yard.”

In 2001, Botham collaborated with his former teammate and the late fast bowler Bob Willis and Australian winemaker Geoff Merill to launch the ‘BMW’ range of wines. In 2018, he took the plunge all by himself with the launch of his eponymous collection of wines that are entirely Australian.

Botham writes that he travelled across Australia and New Zealand… “tasting and blending” as he went. The collection of largely accessible wines – each wine is named after a landmark year in his career – includes the Botham 81 Series Barossa Valley Shiraz (the year he led England to a memorable Ashes win) and the 76 Series Margaret River Chardonnay (the year he first scored 1,000 runs in one season). Botham Wines also sells an entry-level The All Rounder range.

Ian Botham

Ian Botham is not the only ex-cricketer to have a deep interest in wine and to have translated that into an alternative career, or an entrepreneurial venture. His former teammate, the achingly elegant David Gower, became an oenophile at the start of his cricketing career in the late 1970s. The former England captain, who also collects wines, has donned ambassadorial roles for several companies in the UK, and in 2016, in association with an online retailer, Gower launched a collection of mid-market wines called the Perfect Six. Gower is a big fan of wines from Margaux, Lynch-Bages, and Pontet Canet. The most memorable wine he’s ever had? A 1983 Mouton-Rothschild.

Other English cricketers who have dipped their beaks into the wine business include Jimmy Anderson, who launched his own wine label in 2015; Graham Gooch (Three Thirty Three Collection), and the left-arm orthodox spinner Phil Tufnell (Tuffer’s Tipple).

Rose from the Three Thirty Three Collection.

Australian cricketers are no less enthusiastic about wine than the English. If you loved the way former Australian captain and Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting batted, you’re probably curious to know the kind of wine he drinks – and recommends others do too. In 2020, Ponting and his wife Rianna teamed up with Australian winemaker Ben Riggs to launch Ponting Wines, and earlier this week, he launched his collection, which includes a Shiraz and a Cabarnet Sauvignon, among others, at the Delhi Duty Free.

Aussie legend Shane Warne, who passed away last March, too lent his name to a collection back in 2002, but it is his compatriot and fellow leg spinner Stuart MacGill who takes his wine seriously. MacGill, who studied wine marketing, writes on wine for several publications and also hosted a wine show called Stuart MacGill Uncorked.

In 2016, David Gower launched a mid-market wine called Perfect Six.