Beckham ‘shamed’ for drinking red wine at the World Cup
After football fans took to social media to slam former England player David Beckham for drinking a “posh” drink at a World Cup game, db tapped industry figures for their reactions.
While Scotland was playing Brazil during the FIFA World Cup on 24 June, another battle was taking place off the pitch. David Beckham went viral after he was spotted sipping a large glass of red wine while watching the match with his son Cruz at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The former England player, who made 115 appearances for his national team, drew criticism for his choice of drink with some claiming that the beverage highlighted the divide between affluent VIPs seated in luxury boxes and ordinary fans in the stands.
Comments on social media ranged from the succinct “wankery” to “Tipped it like a toff at an alphabet soirée” (whatever that means).
“Mad choice”
One disgruntled football follower said: “Thats funny, u cant take booze in the stands, but because its toss pot u can, see what happens when a real fan in the stand does it, bet they get thrown out.” [sic]
Others were nonplussed: “Who would of thought, an adult drinking wine” one ambivalent commenter observed.
“Not WINE!!! ….. in a GLASS!!!😱” another posted on social media.
Some were perplexed by the radical notion of drinking red wine in warm weather.
“Red wine is a mad choice in that humidity from David Beckham,” posted one fan.
Still more were astonished at the generous size of his glass, while others leapt to defend the glassware with one individual claiming that people were only shocked “because most buy their wine glasses from IKEA or some supermarket! People who enjoy wine would also buy a decent set of red & white glasses.”
Trade reactions
But what did the trade make of it all? The drinks business spoke to key figures to find out.
“Given the commercial and political pressure the drinks industry is under it is a relief to see a celebrity drinking any sort of alcoholic beverage in public,” Jonathan Pedley MW, who has consulted for major wholesalers, importers and wineries, told db.
John Mansfield, CEO of the Society of Vintners, highlighted Beckham’s brand ambassador deal with lager brand Stella Artois.
“A cynic might question whether the furore has actually been fuelled by those lager brands that he is paid to advertise, with the brand owners possibly fearing that the impact of their message may be diluted if Mr Beckham is seen drinking wine,” he said.
Is it possible to truly savour fine wine on match day?
Mansfield added, “I think it’s appalling that he (or indeed anyone else) should be ‘shamed’ for drinking red wine at a football match. Football is there to be enjoyed by everyone – whether they drink beer, red wine, water or nothing at all. And indeed there are very few places where wine can’t be enjoyed.”
However, it is certainly true, he continued, that “many high end (aka old and expensive) reds have a great deal of depth to be slowly savoured and appreciated as they slip down the throat; and this may not match the high-octane excitement of a first class football game”.
But, he said, “let’s face it, some matches are so boring that the fans look for letters in the programme that they can fill in with their pens, and so a lovely wine on which to concentrate the senses may be a welcome relief.”
Demystifying fine wine
According to db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay, the fact that the story went viral “shows there is a lot of work still to be done in demystifying fine wine.”
“I also think that it’s rather tragic that Beckham seems to be being attacked (at least by some) for the inappropriateness of a (mere) football player drinking (presumably fine) wine from a fine wine glass, rather than the more habitual beer. Once again I am struck by the work that still needs to be done to deconstruct the often class-based and gender-discriminatory ways in which alcohol consumption is read and judged.”
Hay pointed out that Beckham’s wine glass, which attracted so much attention, was entirely appropriate for enjoying a quality wine, and did not indicate over-consumption.
“The fascinating thing is that those criticising seem to be assuming that if the glass is a big one (The Sun talks of a ‘fishbowl’) then it implies that a lot of wine is being consumed,” Hay said.
“That’s almost certainly a mistake. Beckham’s glass – a kind well-known to Burgundy and Piedmont wine-lovers around the world – is ample and designed to aerate the wine and reveal its aromatic complexity. The glass is not at all full in the photo that I have seen – and glasses like this are rarely filled higher than the level shown in the photo.”
He added: “Had the same volume of wine been consumed from a glass tumbler or even a more traditional claret glass I think it would have attracted far less attention. What it suggests to me is that Beckham is a bit of a wine-lover and someone was presenting him with a wine that they wished to show at its best. I don’t find that a bad image either for fine wine or for Beckham.”
The brewer’s take
When asked for his response to the ‘Beckham drinking red wine’ debacle, James Brown, owner of craft brewer Coast Beer, said: “Honestly, I don’t blame him. The official beer of this World Cup is Michelob Ultra, a light mainstream lager built to be inoffensive. Faced with that or a decent glass of red, I’d take the red every time too, and I brew beer for a living.”
In fact, Brown pointed out, “being relaxed enough to drink what you actually enjoy is the confident move”. He linked this to consumers increasingly embracing alcohol-free options without fear of judgement in social settings, including at the football. Because of this, he said, it’s vital that the quality is there in non-alcoholic beers.
“A watery zero-alcohol lager is no more exciting than a watery lager, so I understand why people write the whole category off,” he said. “The stuff that’s genuinely changing minds is proper craft alcohol-free, which bears no resemblance to those bland supermarket zeros. Made well, you get the full flavour without the units.
“So the choice at the football isn’t really wine versus mainstream lager any more, there’s a genuinely good third option now, and that’s the part I find most interesting.”
Related news
David Beckham and Matt Damon reunite for Stella Artois campaign
David Beckham toasts 50 with Petrus pilgrimage
Matt Damon and David Beckham win in Stella Super Bowl advert
