Why The San Francisco Giants Just Added A Wine Sommelier To Its Roster

What do you think of when you think of baseball food? "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack” — as suggested in that classic earworm, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game?” Sure, but we also think popcorn, pretzels, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, nachos smothered in gooey cheese, and ice cold beer when we consider ballpark fare. And that's just the starting lineup (per Cut 4).

Some stadiums, like Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, play to the crowd by offering more elevated and imaginative grab-and-go options, like sushi, street corn, chicken and waffles, gyros, and burgers dreamed up by none other than celebrity chef Bobby Flay (per Sports Illustrated). Baltimore was home to the first Major League Baseball stadium with a kosher food vendor (per Baltimore Jewish Times) and most stadiums these days are certain to have plant-based choices, according to The Beet.

Meanwhile, San Francisco Giants fans have a new reason to "root, root, root for the home team:" The team has partnered with a Master Sommelier to expand on the wine experience for fans and to "create a new wine benchmark for sports entertainment," the sommelier said (per The Drinks Business).

Master Sommelier, you say? That sounds highfalutin. A Master Sommelier is someone who has achieved the highest level possible of wine education and training, usually through an organization like the Court of Master Sommeliers (per Master Class). In a sports industry first, the Giants have partnered with Evan Goldstein, a leading figure in the world of wine who has been a fan of the team for his whole life (per Sports Illustrated).

Goldstein is a wine writer and the author of several books who likes to say he speaks three languages: wine, food, and the pairing of wine and food (in English, French, and Portuguese, per Serious Eats). In his collaboration with the Giants, the Master Sommelier will facilitate wine tastings, both in-person and through virtual programs, guide the selection of wines served at Oracle Park, and create wine and food combos for the ballpark and off-site Giants events (per The Drinks Business).

Goldstein seems like a good bet to hit the program out of the park. "Wine, like baseball, is an experience — it creates and impacts memories and brings people together," he said. "Delicious wines can be mainstream and accessible, and as happy being alongside a hot dog as a premium steak.”