A Hall of Fame wine to go with a Hall of Fame career?

Although many sports stars lend their names to wines (including Wayne Gretzky, detailed below), few stand out like local football player Charles Woodson. Before retiring this year, Woodson played as a free safety in the NFL for an incredible 18 seasons, beginning and ending with the Oakland Raiders. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler during his career and will almost certainly be elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

It just so happens that Oakland’s training camp is located in Napa Valley, and players often frequent the local wineries after practice. Early in his career, Woodson used that opportunity to develop an appreciation for wine. Appreciation blossomed into a business in 2001, Woodson’s fourth year in the league, with the founding of TwentyFour Wines. The name is a reference to Woodson’s jersey number. NFL rules strictly prohibit players from endorsing alcoholic products, so Woodson couldn’t use his own name for his winery while he was playing. Now that he has retired, the winery has rebranded as Charles Woodson Wines.

The product of Woodson’s winery is also unusual among the many wines endorsed by athletes. First of all, Woodson’s winery plays in a larger part of the wine value chain, leasing vineyards rather than merely branding bulk wine. Reportedly, Woodson has even helped out in the vineyards during harvest season. And his wines—currently cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc—compete in the ultra-luxury segments with prices above $100 per bottle. Critics have responded positively. The Wine Spectator rated the 2010 cabernet sauvignon as one of the best 100 wines of the year.

Now that he’s retired and freed from NFL restrictions, Woodson seems to be focusing more of his attention on his wine business. In addition to the rebranding, Woodson has built out a tasting room apparently designed to attract football fans to the wine country. Decorated with memorabilia from Woodson’s career and borrowing some stylistic cues from sports bars, the winery appears to be capitalizing on the entertainment and tourism aspects of the business in addition to the liquid product.

The future of Charles Woodson in the wine business remains to be seen. But early returns look good, putting Woodson in a perhaps unique position to meld sports and wine while doing justice to both.