By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 24th May, 2025

Meeting a Baseball Legend – And sharing a bottle of wine (sort of)

Books on baseball invariably combine history with nostalgia, and some are buttressed occasionally by statistics. ‘A Nice Little Place on the North Side’ by George Will dramatically broadens this perspective. Will, a native of Illinois and a lifetime Cubs fan, brings both his love of the game and his cerebral skills to baseball writing, but he’s aided here by writing about Wrigley Field, a place that touches the emotional core of anyone who knows baseball. Despite having been raised as a Philadelphia Phillies fan, I found myself absorbed in Will’s book. I think I was more taken by it though, having actually been to a game at Wrigley Field. In 1989, an industry colleague of mine had become friendly with a Cubs executive who, as luck would have it, was a wine buff. Through him, my colleague got tickets to a game when I was visiting. We had great seats — two rows behind the visitors’ dugout. The Cubs beat the Pirates in a close game, and I was thrilled to watch. The day was heightened by the grilled sausages we enjoyed, an al fresco lunch that remains to this day my favorite sports venue meal, ever. After finishing Will’s book, I thought back to an even more gratifying baseball experience in Chicago.

In January, almost thirty years ago, I was in Chicago, and met up with the same industry colleague at my hotel. It was a sales trip, and he offered to visit some accounts with me. I was staying in an especially nice hotel, where a long-time acquaintance of mine had recently taken over as Food and Beverage Director. Anticipating my arrival, he had added Neyers Winery wines to the wine list, and two of our wines were being poured in the lobby bar. I felt very much at home. After meeting up with my colleague, we went outside to wait for his car. It was cold — about as cold as I can imagine Chicago gets. The valet suggested we wait inside a small, heated area by the door. A tall, slender man was there, waiting for his car as well. He noticed the six-packs of wine samples that we were carrying, and asked if we were in the wine business. My friend immediately introduced me as owner of a Napa Valley winery, a bit of a stretch but technically accurate. After the stranger heard my name, he remarked that he was familiar with my wine, having served it a charity dinner he had recently hosted at the hotel. Saying that, he walked back inside to the lobby bar, and after a minute or so returned with two bottles of Neyers Winery wine. He handed me a pen and asked me if I’d sign them. I was taken aback, but still flattered. Who should I sign them to, I asked. Oh, he replied, just write, To Ernie. I complied. Just about that time the valet pulled in front of our waiting space, got out of the car, looked in our direction, and said, ‘Here you are Mr. Banks’. My mind suddenly cleared up enough to realize what was happening. ‘Mr. Banks,’ I said, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ He was much better prepared than I, and within seconds I had an autograph, one that I treasure to this day, from Ernie Banks, the Cub’s Hall of Fame shortstop, known widely as ‘Mister Cub’. He got back in his car, rolled down the window, and said, ‘I’ll enjoy the wine even more, now that we’ve met’.

One of the bottles I autographed was our Merlot, a wine made from grapes grown on the 5-acre parcel we developed on our Conn Valley Ranch soon after we bought the property in 1984. We no longer bottle Merlot as a pure varietal though. Instead, we blend it with the Cabernet Sauvignon planted in an adjacent parcel. Both blocks sit on the Left Bank of Conn Creek as it flows through our ranch, so we named this bottling of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon ‘Left Bank Red’. The two parcels combine characteristics from the chilly climate of Conn Valley – a geographical extension of Stag’s Leap – with the exotic minerality of the deep gravel deposits in both. The flavors are reminiscent of ripe cherries with a hint of wild raspberry and cedar. The finish is long and smooth, with an agreeable richness. In a cool year like 2021, it just shines. A glass of our 2021 Left Bank Red with a plate of Barbara’s White Beans and Sausage might even make you as happy as Ernie Banks made me on that cold January morning in Chicago.

White Beans and Italian Sausage

Ingredients:

• 1-pound sweet Italian sausages
• 4 cups cooked Rancho Gordo white beans such as Marcella or Cassoulet
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
• 2 yellow onions minced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs of thyme, stems removed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 whole canned tomatoes, seeds removed and sliced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Kosher salt and Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Remove the meat from the sausage casing and break into small pieces.
2. In a large heavy bottomed pot, sauté the sausage in the olive oil until the meat is lightly browned. Set aside.
3. In the same pot under low heat, cook the onions, celery and tomatoes until the onions are clear in color.
4. Add the reserved sausage, herbs, beans, and chicken stock.
5. Simmer until the broth thickens, approximately 10 minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve with slices of Levain bread and butter.