Star player Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics has launched the wine label Deldon.
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Elena Delle Donne, an WNBA star player for the Washington Mystics women’s basketball team, says that wine has been an important part of family dinners for as long as she can remember.
“There was and continues to be a bottle of red at the center of the table at almost every meal,” Delle Donne says. “As a result, I grew up loving wine, and it became a dream of mine to have my own.”
That aspiration came to fruition in late 2022 with the debut of Deldon Pinot Noir, a red from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Delle Donne launched her brand in collaboration with David Britz, the founder of the DD Project, a nonprofit that sells wines and uses the proceeds to give startup capital to aspiring female entrepreneurs.
“I was looking for sponsorship for a golf tournament that I organized for charity. When DD Projects sponsored the wine for the tournament, my wife, Amanda, saw an opportunity to make my dream of Deldon Wines come true, and we got it off the ground,” she says.
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Before starting her label, Delle Donne says that she primarily drank Cabernet. A trip to Oregon’s wine region turned her onto Pinot Noir. “I went wine tasting with some of my teammates, and I tried the Pinot Noir. One sip, and I was hooked,” Delle Donne says. “I knew that the first wine I would put the Deldon name on would be a Pinot.”
Half of the proceeds from sales of her label support the Elena Delle Donne Foundation, her nonprofit that donates money to causes that have personally touched her life, including animal welfare and research and treatment for Lyme disease. The other half goes to the DD Entrepreneurial Foundation, a part of the DD Project that gives grants to women entrepreneurs.
THE ITEM
Deldon Pinot Noir is a red wine produced in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. With notes of dark berries, dried fruit, and a hint of spice, it has a full-bodied, silky texture. The expression pairs well with chicken and firm fish.
THE PRICE
The wine sells for US$49 a bottle and can be purchased at ddprojectwines.com. It is also expected to be available at wine retailers in the Northeast in the near future.
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WHAT’S THE GOOD
The proceeds from Deldon Wines are donated to Delle Donne’s Foundation, which supports three nonprofits. They include Faithful Friends Animal Society, an animal shelter in her childhood home of New Castle, Del., and the Global Lyme Alliance, which combats the disease through research and also provides treatment for underprivileged people who are battling the illness and cannot afford to pay for help.
Delle Donne herself has Lyme disease and says that she takes more than 50 pills a day to manage her condition. “It’s the only way to keep myself healthy enough to play the game that I love and earn the paycheck that supports my family,” she says.
The foundation works closely with the Global Lyme Alliance to help individuals and families who are especially in need. “We worked closely with a family, for example, who could not afford treatment or even travel to get to their appointments,” Delle Donne says. “The foundation donated a car to the family so they can now get to their doctor and get the treatment they all desperately need.”
The foundation also supports the Special Olympics. Delle Donne has a special needs sister, who she says has inspired her in many ways. “One of the initiatives we have is enrolling special needs athletes in my basketball camps,” she says.
WHAT’S NEXT
Delle Donne says that she hopes to expand the Deldon portfolio and offer more wine varietals.
“The experience of drinking wine shouldn’t merely end with an amazing wine in the glass, it should also be inspirational,” she says. “I hope my wine inspires other female athletes to launch their own brands.”