What’s on your wine rack right now?
My wife Elise and I love Oregon wines. We had a bottle from Alexana just last night. We drink a lot from Adelsheim and love the winemaker Gina Hennen. We’re big fans of Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra. Kate Payne Brown is a good friend and we drink a lot of bubbles from Argyle. And we always have bottles on hand from Stoller and Walter Scott. Old World, we’re big, big fans of SuperTuscans.
CJ McCollum and his wife, Elise.
Where do you keep them?
We have two larger cellars for our ‘do not drink now’ wines, but for regular rotation we have a small wine fridge that holds 40 bottles.
And I know we’re not supposed to do this, but we get gifted wines and run out of space, so some are in the closet [laughs]. We do keep them on their side and keep the house as cold as possible.
How did you first become interested in wine?
When I got drafted to the Portland Trail Blazers [in Oregon] in 2013, some of my teammates brought me out to Willamette Valley. That was an experience – to be among the vines and taste from barrel in the cellars.
The game-changer for me was a Pinot Noir from Walter Scott. I remember thinking, ‘Does all Oregon wine taste this good?’ I was able to meet [co-founders] Ken Pahlow and Erica Landon and learn about their process. And then Adelsheim reached out about a potential partnership and that led to my first label, Heritage 91.
Most memorable wine?
Well our daughter’s name is Margaux, if that gives you any indication of where we’re at in our wine journey.
There was a 1966 Château Lafite Rothschild that was very memorable, as well as a 1983 Château Cheval Blanc.
A wine you’d love to try?
There are some great years from Château Latour that I’ve gotten to try, but there are a lot of years I haven’t had yet.
Wine and food you would serve at a dinner party?
Vegetarian lasagna – with meatballs on the side for the non-vegetarians. Add in a nice salad and some bread from the farmer’s market.
You could go Oregon wine with that, something aged in French oak, but my wife would go SuperTuscan. She’s big into bubbles right now, so we’d also bring out some blanc de blancs and sparkling rosés.
Vegetarian lasagne.
Go-to wines for watching TV?
There’s something about Pinot Noir and popcorn that does something to my spirit. I just really enjoy it. French fries as well, but I vary the dipping sauces to play with the acidity.
Memorable people with whom you’ve shared wine?
On the sports side, I’ve shared a lot of wine with [former professional basketball player] Carmelo Anthony. He introduced me to white Burgundy, which we’ve tried a lot of together.
Fellow NBA players such as Draymond Green, as well as Kevin Love and Channing Frye, who are also in the wine world. Those are always great conversations. But mostly I just enjoy drinking wine with my family and friends.
Where do you buy your wines?
It depends where I am. When I was in DC, I was going to Housebar and Calvert Woodley Fine Wines & Spirits.
I’ve got sommeliers who source wine for me, and I also buy online at places like Wine.com and Le Vino. I’ve discovered lots of great wines at Stella’s Wine Bar in Houston.
Your favourite value wines?
Sticking with Oregon, I would definitely recommend some of my own wines from McCollum Family Vineyard. Our rosé is around $30 and our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are in the $50 range. You can find some under-$40 bottles from Shea Wine Cellars, as well as Bow & Arrow.
Do you enjoy travelling for wine?
Italy and France are two favourite destinations; I really want to go back to Champagne. For places we haven’t been yet, we’d love to explore Australia and New Zealand. I’ve heard so many great things about their wine regions.
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