Multiple grand slam champion Rafael Nadal has swapped tennis courts for vineyards, joining forces with Spanish producer Gil Family Estates to launch his first wine, El Tenista, this month.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has partnered with the family-owned winemaking group to revive Dominio del Liftado, an old estate in Jumilla, Murcia, in south-eastern Spain.
The collaboration follows a long-standing friendship between Nadal and the Gil family, website Vinetur reported.
After retiring from professional tennis, Nadal helped restore Dominio del Liftado, working alongside Gil Family Estates head winemaker Bartolomé Abellán.
El Tenista is made entirely from organically grown monastrell (also known as mourvedre, or mataro), sourced from ungrafted vines that are more than 50 years old but had previously been neglected.
Nadal announced the new venture on social media last week, saying the wine reflects a common view of effort, consistency and daily work, values he said he shares with the family behind the company.
“There are projects that make you especially excited, and this is one of them,” Nadal wrote in Spanish on Instagram.
Production will be limited. Spanish media reports said.
The Gil family is one of the largest and most established names in Spanish wine, with operations in several regions.
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