Planned Activations Will Bring Sonoma County Wines to Game Day and Beyond

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (November 7th, 2024) – Continuing on their growing success in bringing its world-class wines to new and divergent audiences, Sonoma County Winegrowers is teaming up with one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Chicago Bears, to introduce, share and immerse fans in Chicagoland with all things about Sonoma County wine.  This is the latest sports partnership and the first NFL team sponsorship for Sonoma County Winegrowers which also has collaborations ongoing with the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Rockets.

“We are very excited to partner with the Chicago Bears and share our Sonoma County wines with their legendary fans and team,” said Karissa Kruse, president and chief executive officer of the Sonoma County Winegrowers.  She added, “We love to reach new audiences in memorable ways and let them experience all that makes Sonoma County a world-class region for growing and making some of the very best wine. We were excited to learn just how much the Bears fans love wine and we already know Chicago is a great city for the Sonoma County wine region.”

The new partnership will include exclusive wine tastings and events on specific game days; a sommelier program for interested players; the development and placement of digital and social content on the Chicago Bear platforms;  and wine education sessions for players, coaches and staff.

“We are excited to partner with the esteemed Sonoma County Winegrowers to help provide Bears fans with unique and memorable experiences and opportunities,” said Meka Morris, Executive Vice President of Revenue & Chief Business Officer for the Chicago Bears. “We place an imperative on operating at a world-class level and bettering the community around us, which is why pairing with Sonoma County Winegrowers will help to foster the perfect blend.”

Sonoma County Winegrowers represents more than 1,800 growers and works to increase awareness and recognition of the quality, sustainability and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers and influencers around the world. In 2014, Sonoma County’s winegrowing community embarked on a major initiative to have all Sonoma County vineyards certified sustainable. Today, 99% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has completed certification by a third-party auditor making Sonoma County the most sustainable winegrowing region in the world. SCW’s sustainability efforts have been recognized with California’s highest environmental honor, the 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA).

Contact: John Segale |  916.600.1081