Andrea “the Architect” Pirlo is best known as a soccer legend. He started playing professionally at the ripe old age of sixteen, and since then has won more trophies than you could count on four hands (it’s hard to count with toes.)
He even won that super big international tournament that happens every four years. That’s right, the World Cup. (If you guessed the Olympics, don’t worry, he’s also a bronze medalist in those.) Andrea isn’t particularly fast or strong and he doesn’t score a ton of goals. So aside from his preposterously well groomed beard, what’s his deal? Pirlo isn’t a Fifth Class Italian Knight for no reason.
Andy (as we call him) just happens to be one of the silkiest, most intelligent playmakers in the game. He plays with his mind as much as his feet. He can control the ball like no other, and set up a goal with his eyes closed. Like a fine wine, he’s gotten better with age, continuing to marvel despite having turned 35 (a veritable dinosaur in soccer years.)
That trophy might just be filled with wine.
But we like Andrea because he’s not only an absolute badass (he slept all day and played playstation in preparation for the World Cup final he won) but because his passion for soccer is rivaled only by his passion for wine.
The Italian playmaker built up a bit of a reputation as a wine lover and connoisseur, but only recently did he show the world how deep his love for the juice really is. As it turns out, Pirlo loves wine so damn much, he bought his own vineyard. His ultimate retirement dream and goal in life? To run that vineyard and to make wine ‘til he can drink no more.
This glass is definitely filled with wine.
“I’ve always drunk wine” Pirlo confessed “ever since I was little and my mother mixed a little of it with water for me.” With a beard like his, we doubt he still waters it down. “My grandmother had a vineyard here [in Brescia, Italy] and as a child I came with my relatives to help with the grape harvest.”
We don’t have proof, but we’re pretty sure it was all the vino that gave Pirlo such silky skills. If you can handle grapes with the utmost finesse, why not a soccer ball?
Like us, Andrea thinks of drinking as a form of discovery, and one of the best. “I like to read about wine, to understand it, to try wines from other regions, other labels.” So do we Andrea… so do we, and we like the way you go about things.
Soccer fans, wine lovers and appreciators of exceptional personages: next time you’re watching Italian soccer or reliving some World Cup glories, make sure to drink some Montepulciano for our latest legend of the juice, Andrea Pirlo.
Salute, Andy!
Watch the best of Pirlo below and soak up the glory:
(Read all about our inaugural legend of the juice Roland Barthes here.)
