Mike Ditka Wine

If Mike Ditka was to decide to develop and market wine, well I'm certainly going to collect it. And that's what he did. And now I'm collecting and storing it. I don't know whether his restaurant had anything to do with it, or maybe even his heart attack, but I know that Mr. Ditka now enjoys wine, specifically red wine (as do I). On November 7, 2006 it was announced that Ditka had joined forces with The Mendocino Wine Company of the top wine regions of California to produce a selection of 5 wines that will be offered in his restaurants, as well as being distributed with select dealers.

The following are the wines in my collection (750 ml) as well as their current retail values: 2005 Chardonnay @ $17.99, a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon @ $19.99, two lower end wines that are house wines at the restaurant; the 2006 Pinot Grigio and the 2004 Merlot, both priced @ $11.95. The top of the line bottle is Ditka's finest creation and suitedly labeled "Kick Ass Red" 2005 and it retails for $49.95. According to the Mendocino website re: Kick Ass Red "It is a brilliant, concentrated dry red wine with luscious aromas and flavors of jammy wild blackberry. It has a lingering finish of freshly ground black pepper and toasty vanilla. Worthy of cellar aging, this wine is delicious now with fine beef, wild game and artisan cheeses." It is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petitie Sirah.

As Ditka himself says when describing the Kick Ass wine, the one that he spent most of his time developing: "I'm looking for a big, brawny red wine, with a lot of ripe fruit flavors and a firm grip in the mouth. It needs to be the best possible expression of its growing region, and, of course, it needs to taste great with a good steak."