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How Dwyane Wade Fell in Love With Wine and Decided to Start Wade Cellars

Thursday, June 25th, 6:30pm ET

Throughout his playing career and his life off the court, Dwyane Wade has blazed his own path. In becoming one of the most celebrated athletes in the world, Wade has been exposed to the ultimate in living well, as well as some of the world’s greatest personalities. Dwyane’s love of the great wines of Napa Valley was fueled by the food and wine he enjoyed with his teammates Chris Bosh and Lebron James. Their friendship and mutual love of great wine sparked a passion in Dwyane. Two years ago, he decided to follow his heart and make a great wine of his own.

With the wine dream unshakably in his mind, he looked to his dear friend Jayson Pahlmeyer for guidance. For over 30 years Jayson Pahlmeyer has consistently produced iconic Napa Valley wines of power, finesse, and distinction. Jayson has been a leader in the world of fine wine and shares Wade’s bold and irrepressible spirit. Jayson invited Dwyane to witness harvest in the Napa Valley in 2014. Harvest is a very magical time in the Valley and sparked Dwyane’s dream of Wade Cellars. The combination of that 2014 harvest trip with Jayson’s wine business knowledge and Dwyane’s enthusiasm and joie de vivre Wade Cellars was born.

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Dwyane Wade

As a three-time NBA Champion, Olympic Gold medalist and thirteen-time NBA All-Star, Dwyane Wade has experienced a whirlwind career.
Wade joined the Miami HEAT as the fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. In his first season, the Chicago-area native who also flashed his athletic brilliance for Marquette University, achieved NBA All-Rookie Team status. In 2006, Wade led his team to the city’s first ever NBA Championship. Wade represented the United States in the 2004 Athens Summer Games and brought home the GOLD representing the USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Wade officially retired from the NBA after sixteen years following his 2018-19 season. His #OneLastDance farewell tour included jersey exchanges, gifts, and tributes. Wade partnered with Bleacher Report on a D. Wade World Tour apparel series to celebrate the final season of his career and pay tribute to his influence on and off the court. Wade’s business partnerships include Away, PKWY, Li-Ning, Gatorade, MISSION, Hisense, BallerTV, Spades Royale, Budweiser, Mars Reel, Wade Cellars, and 800° Woodfired Kitchen. His wine partnership, Wade Cellars, currently features 2016 Wade Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Three by Wade, which includes a 2015 Napa Valley red blend and the 2018 California rosé. On the broadcasting front, Wade signed a multiyear deal to join Turner Sports as a commentator, making appearances on TNT's NBA event coverage and serving as a regular analyst for the network's Tuesday night studio coverage alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Candace Parker. He will also appear in studio at the NCAA Final Four and National Championship as part of Turner Sports and CBS Sports' coverage of the annual collegiate tournament. Additionally, he has a development deal with his production company and will serve as creative director for Bleacher Report, working on generating custom content experiences.
In June 2013, Wade received a Humanitarian Award at the BET Awards for his commitment to excellence and dedication to community and worldly charitable causes. He received the NBA's 2012-2013 Community Assist Award in recognition of his efforts in the community and his philanthropic work. In 2015, he was inducted into the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Hall of Champions. In 2017, Wade was awarded the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award. He was recently honored with the Legend Award at the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards.

Jamie Watson

Jamie Watson is a founding partner in Wade Cellars alongside his father-in-law Jayson Pahlmeyer and Dwyane Wade. Although formally trained as an attorney, Jamie caught the wine bug soon after moving to Napa Valley in 2008. Since that time he has traveled throughout the world with his wife, Cleo Pahlmeyer, promoting and sharing their love of wine. Since the inception of Wade Cellars in 2014, Jamie has worked closely with Dwyane and the entire Wade Cellars' team to ensure that Wade Cellars' vision of bringing great California wines to a new and diverse audience is achieved.

Adam Teeter

Adam founded VinePair with Josh with one simple goal: create a publication he actually wanted to read in a space he was extremely passionate about. Since founding the publication Adam has become recognized as an authority on how to make the drinks world accessible to everyone as well as on the ever evolving media landscape. He is the winner of the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup American Wine-Tasting Championship and holds an MBA from NYU Stern.

what you'll need

The Wade 3 Pack

“The Three by Wade brand provides affordable luxury for everyday enjoyment. At Wade Cellars, we strive to share Dwyane’s love of the great wines of California and beyond. Central to each of our wines is a focus on ideal ripeness, freshness and aromatics. Three by Wade wines deliver intensity of flavor without heaviness. This results from the methodical selection of vineyards and grapes in an effort to have each wine speak to the nuanced terroir from where it originated and overdeliver on every level.”

2019 Three by Wade Blanc The Three by Wade Blanc is composed of 95% Chenin Blanc and 5 % Viognier. It’s a versatile medium bodied white wine with golden apple hues and refreshing acidity.
2019 Three by Wade Rosé Our Rosé is fashioned after the light bodied versions that hail from the Mediterranean. It’s vibrant, light, and incredibly lithe, this is another Three by Wade Roseì that carries energy for days.
2016 Three by Wade Red The Red blend is a traditional California field blend from the Napa Valley that’s composed of Zinfandel, Syrah & Petit Sirah