Chris Iannetta never tasted the “garage wine” his grandparents made when he was growing up in Providence, R.I. He was too young.
But he remembers watching his grandfather sample grapes at the local farmer’s market and then set up the press and barrels in the garage. He’d sit and listen, a young boy entranced, as his grandfather, an Italian immigrant, told stories about his life and his affinity for wine.
In 2007, Iannetta’s rookie season with the Colorado Rockies, his grandfather died of cancer. At dinner with teammates, when his glass was filled with a red or white, Iannetta would think of his grandfather and “re-connect.