Vermeil A 'Super' winemaker

By Register Staff

Dick Vermeil, Super Bowl winner and two-time NFL Coach-of-the-Year, has announced the formation of the Vermeil Wine Group. 

Vermeil, a Calistoga native, has worked closely for a number of years with Smith Family Winery owners Paul Smith and Mary Sue Frediani Smith on the Jean Louis Vermeil cabernet sauvignon and the OnThEdge lineup of wines. Together, the companies plan to expand production of a series of wines carrying the Vermeil name.

Vermeil said, “The formation of Vermeil Wine Group will position us to increase production without any compromise of quality, an unwavering goal shared by all involved.” 

Robert M. Parker, Jr..  Parker has written that Vermeil Group wines go “against the rule-of-thumb that celebrities rarely achieve anything special in the world of wine.”

A majority of the wines are from fruit grown at the Frediani Vineyard in Calistoga. Vermeil said “this venture honors my family’s long-standing wine heritage and our lifelong friendship with the Frediani family. Paul Smith has done an exemplary job of crafting a great lineup of wines that captures the essence of the Frediani vineyard.”

The wines are now available at the OnThEdge Winery tasting room at 1255 Lincoln Ave. in Calistoga.

For more information about Vermeil Wine Group wines contact Tom Ward at (703) 606-9966.

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