Man Utd’s ten Hag gives Tignanello to losing manager

In a bizarre twist at the end of an FA Cup fourth round game, the Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gave losing manager Graham Coughlan a quality bottle of red wine to commemorate the occasion. 

The presentation of the wine by ten Hag occurred during interviews with broadcasters after his side’s 4-2 victory over Newport County in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday night.

While Coughlan was speaking to the media, ten Hag approached him with the bottle of 2013 Antinori Tignanello.

Despite giving Coughlan a bottle of Italian wine, ten Hag was surprised to hear that the Dublin-born manager had a penchant for US lager, perhaps expecting a certain Irish stout to be his preferred tipple.

Ten Hag also revealed the source of the Tignanello wine: legendary former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ten Hag said: “We have a small gift for you.”

Coughlan then replied: “Brilliant. You know I don’t drink wine, I drink Budweiser.”

Ten Hag replied: “Really, Budweiser? American beer? But this is a really very good one chosen by Sir Alex so maybe your wife will enjoy it.

“Maybe take a taste, I think you will like it. Well done for tonight.”

#MUFC manager Erik ten Hag presented @NewportCounty boss Graham Coughlan with a bottle of red as he made his way out, after Utd’s 4-2 win in the @EmiratesFACup @bbcsport pic.twitter.com/Y6Y45UKwph

— Kris Temple (@kristemple) January 28, 2024

Vintage

db Italian wine correspondent Filippo Bartolotta has described Tignanello as “a rebel wine”.

He said: “It was in 1971, from the Tuscan calcareous and rocky marl limestone in the heart of Chianti Classico half an hour drive from Florence that, with no special welcome or announcements, the ‘enfant terrible’ of Super Tuscans was born.”

Bartolotta said the wine was the “result of a silent revolution” conducted by winemaker Marchese Piero Antinori, who told db: “We hoped, we thought, we knew we had a terrific wine in our brand new oak barriques and I knew the name Tignanello was difficult to pronounce for the foreign market but I was convinced  it was good. We had a wine which was intended to change the rules, beginning a new season for our winery, for my family and for Tuscany,” he told db.

Bartolotta also explained the process of the wine’s creation: ageing Antinori’s Chianti Classico in French barriques, then getting rid of the two white varieties from the blend (Malvasia and Trebbiano), introducing the name of the vineyard Tignanello and finally adding a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Cabernet Franc (5%) to the Sangiovese (80%).

Writing specifically about the 2013 vintage that was presented to Coughlan, Bartolotta said: “Another powerful sample with a lot of muscular attitude. It’s all about the black cherries and prunes and oak spices as if to announce a very woody and tannic palate.

“The very crispy acidity though is turning the wine into a very gastronomic Tignanello with a pleasant grip.”