New Rennes FC coach collects wine to ‘escape’ football pressures

Franck Haise, the newly-appointed coach of French football team Rennes, is nicknamed ‘The Oenologist’ for his dedication to wine collecting.

Franck Haise has signed on the dotted line to coach Brittany-based football club Stade Rennais – ‘Rennes’ – FC after previous coach Habib Beye (a former Newcastle defender) was sacked last week.

And the Ligue 1 side might want to improve its game in terms of the wines offered in its stadium bars, as Haise is known for being a wine connoisseur.

“When I read the French review of wines, when I watch a programme on television about wine or when I am taking part in a tasting, these are the rare moments I’m not thinking about football,” he told Ouest-France newspaper.

“Of course, I like to go for walks, ride my bike, watch a good film. But in these moments my mind always wanders back to football. However, when I’m in the universe of wine, my mind is not cluttered with other things. It’s my escape.”

Wine squad

According to Fox Sport, Haise’s love of wine started when he was as an 18-year-old midfielder playing for Rouen in the late 1980s.

“There were quite a few wine lovers in the squad,” Haise said. “We had a tradition that, on the eve of matches, we would share a bottle of wine, which of course I was soon the one choosing.”

Since then he has expressed a deep appreciation for the wines of Burgundy, particularly those from the area of Auxerre, known for its Chablis, and has been described as a dedicated collector.

Haise is by no means the only fine wine collector to come from a footballing background. As db recently reported, former Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos cracked open bottles of Petrus, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Château Latour and Dom Pérignon from his personal cellar to drink while watching his old team play on television. He accompanied the rare vintages with Basque delicacy angulas (baby eels), which are considered to be an endangered species, and come with a lofty price tag.

“In total, that dinner to watch a football match with friends cost Sergio Ramos more than €15,000,” reported Spanish television channel Telecinco.

In January 2025 Portuguese football manager José Mourinho also ventured into the world of wine with the launch of his own Douro red called The Special One after his own sporting nickname, which retails for €144 per bottle.

Land that is dear

Announcing the arrival of Haise as head coach of the ‘red and blacks’ Rennes FC wrote on Instagram: “Coach at the Rouge et Noir academy between 2006 and 2012, the man who was crowned best coach in Ligue 1 with Lens in 2023, returns to a land that is dear to him. The 54-year-old technician, who has signed a contract until 2027, arrives accompanied by Rennes native Johann Ramare and Lilian Nalis.”

At the time of writing the post had racked up nearly 10,000 likes on the platform.

Rennes has already had its first training session under Haise as it works towards securing a spot in next season’s Europa League. On 13 February, the side beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1, a far cry from the underwhelming performance earlier in the season that saw former coach Habib Beye stripped of his position.

“It’s a joy to return to Rennes, a true pleasure, with my staff, to join such a great club,” Haise said in a statement. “Since my departure in 2012, the club has evolved a lot, illustrated by the exceptional infrastructure that hasn’t stopped progressing. The passion for the club is growing, it’s for those reasons that I’m lucky to be part of the project.”

Related news

Carlsberg return could turn Liverpool football shirt into a classic

Ramón Bilbao becomes official partner of Spain's national football teams

Camden Town Brewery kicks off partnership with Rugby Football Club