In a New Spotlight
How Joe and Jennifer Montana got so involved with California wine

By Susan Kostrzewa

Frequenters of Napa Valley are used to the occasional celebrity sightings, but few are prepared for the sight of former San Francisco 49’er and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana sipping Cabernet at one of the local haunts.

Montana, his wife Jennifer, and their four children moved to the Napa area full-time from Atherton, California, six years ago, and since have segued their love of wine into professional projects that include making wine with Beringer Vineyards’ winemaster Ed Sbragia under the “ Montagia ” label, involvement with the former “Calistoga Classic” food, wine and equestrian event, and the launching of “On the Vine,” a new wine country television show that Jennifer hosts.

Now avid equestrians and wine collectors, the Montanas met in Los Angeles in 1984 on a Schick shaving products commercial (Jennifer is a former model-actress) and married a year later. Living in Paris and traveling Europe, Jennifer had developed a taste for European wine and introduced Joe to that world as well as domestic wines when cooking dinner for him on their first dates.

Mondavi Reserve Cabernet as catalyst

“It all started with a bottle of 1979 Mondavi Reserve (Cabernet),” remembers Joe of a wine Jennifer served. “But my love of wine had actually begun a long time ago and I can remember running to the dinner table to get the last sips of wine from my grandfather’s glass. Then my interest kind of dropped off, until I met Jen.”
A Pennsylvania native like her spouse, Jennifer says that her mother exposed her to wine as a young girl, when “she would let us (Jennifer and her siblings) have a little wine for special occasions, for any good meal. She was the one who opened my eyes.”

In Joe, Jennifer found a willing cohort in wine tasting and appreciation, and the couple eventually bought a second home in wine country. “Joe took the ball and ran with it, “ Jennifer recalls, describing him as a person who when interested in a subject, immerses himself in it. “Whenever he had a day off, we always spent it in Napa. We’d go to Caymus or Duckhorn . . . and bring back two cases, or 10 cases.”

Joe laughs as he remembers those early outings. “We loaded so much wine into the Range Rover that it was practically riding on two wheels,” he said. “And it was a little of everything, Cabernet, Merlot, whatever we liked.”

The Montanas’ love of wine and the relaxed rhythms of wine country eventually spurred their full-time move to a 500-acre ranch in Sonoma County near the Napa line, which they had purchased in 1994. “We loved the slower pace of the area, the beautiful scenery," says Jennifer. “The schools in Atherton were too much pressure for the kids -- there was a lot more parental pressure. Up here, they could be kids, and not be exposed to unrealistic values and an unreal world.”

Their cellar is 40% California wines

The couple quickly began stocking a cellar that Joe describes as a “pretty mixed collection of French, Italian and California wines. I’d say it’s 40/40 French and California, then about 20% Italian and other wines. It’s mostly red wine, leaning toward Cabernets and Merlots and wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy. We like a little bit of everything.” They also collect Champagne as well as aged ports and Madeira.

“We drink red wine every night, when we’re making dinner” and during dinner, Joe says. He describes their home entertaining as a family affair, often entertaining Jennifer’s mother and father-in-law, her sister and brother, or Joe’s father, who all live in the area.

“They never know what we’ll bring up from the cellar, but they know whatever it is, it’s going to be good,” laughs Jennifer. “We serve what we’re in the mood for and what works as far as food pairing.”
The Montanas’ hope to impart their love of California (focusing on Napa and Sonoma County) wine to their children Alexandra, Elizabeth, Nathaniel and Nicholas -- who range in age from 20 through 14 -- and have stored wine to commemorate special occasions to come, such as weddings. “We’ve put boxes of wine away for each child,” Jennifer says. “12 bottles for each of wines from their birth year. The girls’ wine is all California, but Nathaniel’s and Nicholas’ are a mixture of California and French.

Jennifer's wine and food show

Jennifer also hopes to translate her interest in wine to the public via her new half-hour wine and food show “On the Vine,” which will air weekly on PAX TV and elsewhere ( www.onthevinetv.com ). Produced by George Chung, the program features tours of wineries and interviews with winery owners, as well as an exploration of restaurants in places like Napa, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

She describes the show as “practical” with an emphasis on how-to advice, featuring everything from a vocabulary on wine tastings for novices to tips on serving wines at weddings.

The Montana family is clearly impassioned of wine on a personal and professional level, but Joe insists that for him, it’s still just about enjoying himself. “I don’t like to collect wine and let it sit there,” he says. “I like to drink it. It’s fun to collect wine and enjoy it with friends. I enjoy the whole package.”


April 18, 2006