• August 8, 2007

New York wines are taking to the airwaves in a new radio campaign aimed at sports fans. This month, Long Island's Palmer Vineyards (19,000 cases/year) signed on as the official winery of both the New York Yankees and New York Mets radio networks. Palmer is the first winery ever to sponsor a Yankees or Mets radio broadcast.

The sponsorship is part of Palmer's ongoing campaign to win over beer-drinking sports fans, which began earlier this year when the winery became the exclusive wine-seller at Islanders hockey games. "I believe the mindset that only beer goes with sporting events is wrong, and we have joined with the Yankees and Mets radio networks to spread the word that wine and sports are natural companions," said winery owner Robert J. Palmer in a release. Though Palmer declined to reveal the cost of the radio campaign, he noted that it is "the biggest single advertising/promotion that we've done in more than 20 years."

During the course of the game broadcasts, both CBS-owned radio networks will insert "Vintage Moments," which will describe historical moments in each team's history. Yankees broadcasts draw an estimated 1.8-2.1 million listeners per game, while the Mets draw 1.3-1.5 million listeners, according to CBS Sports Radio Network General Sales Manager, Noel Wax.

In addition to the radio spots, CBS is serving Palmer wines in its luxury suites at both Yankee and Shea stadiums, and the network plans to offer bus tours to Palmer's winery in Riverhead that will depart on select dates from each ballpark during harvest time. The Islanders also plan to offer a Palmer Vineyards tour in September.