I tried Lionel Messi's £53 GOAT 10 wine to see how it compared to grapes of other football greats including Prem legend
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FOOTBALL has given us some of our most memorable moments… and one man in particular has grasped the hearts of millions around the globe.
He's won LaLigas, Champions Leagues, a record eight Ballons d'Or and lifted the World Cup in 2022 - he is arguably the greatest of all time.
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Lionel Messi launched his own range of wines, the GOAT 10 collection
Credit: MM Winemaker
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The Argentine great opted against a wine produced in his native homeland
Credit: MM Winemaker
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The GOAT 10 Sicilia Syrah IGT costs just north of £50
Credit: MM Winemaker
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SunSport's Joshua Jones put the footballers' wines through a blind taste test
Credit: SunSport
It's safe to say Lionel Messi has crushed it on the pitch… now he's crushing grapes off it, with his own line of wines.
Messi has followed the likes of Andres Iniesta, David Ginola, David Silva and Andrea Pirlo in releasing his own bottle of plonk - linking with award-winning MM Winemakers to launch the GOAT 10 Lionel Collection.
His adoring fans are able to get their hands on a bottle of his premium Sicily Syrah or Puglia Primitivo reds for just north of £50.
SunSport had grape expectations once we got our hands on some of the wine.
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And we thought we should put the GOAT 10 through its paces and see how it plays in the glass... whether it has that shirazzmatazz worthy of a Ballon P'Our.
A blind taste test was in order so SunSport headed to WSET School London - one of the UK's leading wine schools - and drafted in top ref, wine connoisseur and Principal Richard Harding to provide some much-needed expertise.
So how does Messi's vino stack up against the footballing competition?
And can we guess the player from the taste of his wine? SunSport found out...
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ANDREA PIRLO - Pratum Coller Nitor IGP Montenetto (£23)
The first hidden bottle we tested was a white wine that had an immediate early impact.
Richard showed us what to look for, smell for and ultimately taste for - and I (somehow) correctly identified citrus as one of the key notes, albeit suggesting grapefruit instead of lemon and lime or even peach.
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Then I scored my first own goal of the testing session… swallowing down a big gulp of the vino rather than swirling it around my mouth and back out into a spittoon as the pros do.
This was a fresh, classy wine that one could easily enjoy for a full 90 minutes with the acidity a clue it is Italian - and for that reason, I guessed Andrea Pirlo, a classy footballer, a crowd pleaser and perfect on a summer's evening.
Get a bit too much of it, though, and Pirlo's wine might leave you down on your backside looking a little silly - a la Joe Hart at Euro 2012.
The Italian maestro owns the Pratum Coller vineyard which has 15 acres of vines and produces 25-30,000 bottles per year.
SunSport guess: PIRLO, Richard guess: PIRLO
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Andrea Pirlo's Nitor IGP Montenetto from Pratum Coller was a classy white wine
Credit: oip
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The former midfielder's vineyard produces 25-30,000 bottles per year
Credit: Alamy
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Drink too much and you could end up like Joe Hart at Euro 2012
Credit: AFP - Getty
DAVID SILVA - Tameran Malvasia Volcanica 2022 (£41)
As the first half progressed, I grew into the game and thought I was getting a good grasp.
Richard seemed genuinely quite surprised and impressed when I correctly identified the vanilla notes in wine No2.
This delicious darker white had honey, smoky and even explosive tints - in part due to the grapes growing in volcanic Gran Canaria.
This wine has aged well and reflects its owner who kept going until 37, David Silva - and like the four-time Premier League winner, deserves more accolades than it is given credit for.
Silva teamed up with winemaker Jonatan Garcia to launch a new winery in his home island in 2019, Bodegas Tameran, when he bought the vineyard.
SunSport guess: GINOLA, Richard guess: SILVA
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David Silva's Tameran Malvasia Volcanica is produced in Gran Canaria
Credit: Gourmet Hunters
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The ex-Manchester City star bought the vineyard in 2019 and has a range of wines
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CejvijQgIIG/
DAVID GINOLA - Coste Brulade Provence Rosé 2023 (£14)
As we hit half-time, it was time to shake things up with a rose - Richard informed me wine tasting is done by starting with whites, then roses and then finally reds.
This floral, red-fruity and summery number had Wimbledon vibes - but more the All England Club rather than the Crazy Gang at Plough Lane.
Spurs fan Richard's expertise suggested this elegant rose was from Provence in the south of France… and that was a tell-tale sign who could be responsible for being the footballer behind it.
David Ginola certainly has produced award-winning wine with Coste Brulade in the past - but it is unclear if he is still involved.
SunSport guess: GINOLA, Richard guess: GINOLA
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The Coste Brulade Provence Rosé 2023 had a taste of summer
Credit: General Wine Company
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David Ginola helped make award-winning wines with Coste Brulade in the 2000s
Credit: PA
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The rose was a French number oozing with elegance - fitting for Ginola
Credit: PA
ANDRES INIESTA - Corazon Loco Tinto Joven 2022 (£15)
Well into second half, now, and this is where the reds come into their own.
This one was so deep in colour it looked like it had parked the bus - Jose Mourinho would be proud.
Straight off the nose, I could detect the flair and creativity and we picked out flavours of cherries, blackcurrants and blackberries.
Whoever made this had clearly put plenty of time in perfecting his craft in the vineyard… just like they did on the pitch.
This is a consistent wine that can step up at any occasion - Champions League semi-finals at Stamford Bridge to World Cup finals in Johannesburg.
Impressing in red with his Corazon Loco - which means 'crazy heart' - Andres Iniesta certainly played with his heart and went crazy in red (well, it was the blue away kit!) when he scored the winner as Spain were crowned world champions in 2010.
Andres' father Jose planted ten hectares in the 1990s and the family winery Bodega Iniesta opened in Albacete, Spain in 2010, now grows 14 grape varieties across 300 hectares.
SunSport guess: INIESTA, Richard guess: INIESTA
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The Corazon Loco Tinto Joven 2022 is a red from Andres Iniesta
Credit: Vinissimus
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The Spaniard showed 'crazy heart' when he won the World Cup for his country in 2010
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Bodega Iniesta was established in the same year as Spain's triumph in South Africa
Credit: www.bodegainiesta.es
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The family business now grows 14 grape varieties across 300 hectares
Credit: www.bodegainiesta.es
LIONEL MESSI - Sicily Syrah IGT (£53)
And lastly, sneaking in during injury-time was the fifth and final wine - and a real showstopper, too.
I got hints of earthiness - not dissimilar to the smell of the Nou Camp pitch from my visit to Barcelona.
And Richard cleverly pointed out that this could mean it is from a player who is used to leaving opposition defenders in the dirt.
So while Lionel Messi may not be renowned for his physical strength or height, he has certainly left a powerful impression on football.
And his smooth and silky GOAT 10 Syrah wine does the same with its full-bodied complexity, good acidity and spice, dark fruitiness and subtle floral and oak flavours… this wine can do a bit of everything - sound familiar?
The quality number has plenty of velvety tannins - natural compounds from skins, seeds and stems - and the high alcohol content (14 per cent) leaves a slight burning sensation in the mouth.
The good long finish stays in the mouth - an indicator of the footballer's lengthy career and red-hot ability to find the back of the net more than 850 times.
Interestingly, the Lionel Collection is produced from grapes grown in Italy… for a player born in Argentina and made his name spending most of his career in Spain.
SunSport guess: MESSI, Richard guess: MESSI
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Lionel Messi's GOAT 10 Sicily Syrah IGT is a showstopper
Credit: MM Winemaker
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A long finish is fitting for a man still playing at 38 with more than 850 career goals
Credit: MM Winemaker
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As well as the Sicilia Syrah, there is also a Puglia Primitivo in the Lionel Collection
Credit: MM Winemaker
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Despite dazzling in pink for Inter Miami, Messi's GOAT 10s are reds rather than roses
Credit: Getty
FULL-TIME SCORE
SunSport 4-5 Richard
Cheers!
A huge thank you to Richard Harding and everyone at WSET School London. WSET is the global leader in drinks education, with courses in wine, spirits, beer and sake taught in over 70 countries. Head to wsetglobal.com to find a course provider near you.
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The five wines all showed plenty of class and creativity - much like the famous footballers behind them
Credit: SunSport
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SunSport's Joshua Jones leaned on the expertise of WSET School London Principal Richard Harding
Credit: SunSport
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The pair assessed the colours, notes and flavours of the wines
Credit: SunSport
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Getting the technique right is an important part of wine testing
Credit: SunSport
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