England captain Jamie George sparkles for Nyetimber
England and Saracens’ star Jamie George reveals ‘supertaster’ wine skills as he launches partnership with Nyetimber
Jamie George, England captain for this week’s Six Nations opener against Wales, announced his brand ambassadorship for Nyetimber with a video that revealed he had the palate of a supertaster. As he sampled the brand’s sparkling rosé, he commented on getting notes of ‘British summer’, ‘raspberries’ and ‘strawberry laces’.
The tongue-in-cheek video was shot at Jamie’s boyhood club, Hertford RFC, with Nyetimber’s iconic 1968 Routemaster Bus also rolling into the grassroots club just for the occasion.
An instant hit, when the campaign launched last week, it immediately drew the attention of not only fellow England players but also stars of the culinary world. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge commented: ‘Looking for a sommelier job after retirement???’; professional golfer Matt Wallace offered an assortment of emojis; with current England team-mate Marcus Smith, and former players Brad Barritt, and George Kruis, also sharing their thoughts on Jamie ‘the supertaster’ George.
The launch, which also includes a series of videos on George to be released later this year, was the work of creative agency Sporting Eric, known for their award-winning rugby campaigns for brands such as Rhino, Canterbury and Vodafone, but also have extensive experience in food and drink, with co-founder Alex Mead a former editor of Food and Travel magazine. “We wanted to capture the humour of Jamie George, who has done a wine tasting course as it happens, while also reflecting why these two are such a good match,” explained Alex Mead, co-founder of Sporting Eric. “Nyetimber is a brilliant, authentic English brand that truly excels at what it does, and Jamie George reflects that in his field, so as he says, ‘it just makes sense’.”
Rachel Parkes, Nyetimber’s Group Head of PR, said: “Alex and the team at Sporting Eric were fantastic to work with on a Nyetimber rugby campaign. Their creativity, dedication, enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the game were invaluable, and they went over and above to create outstanding content that has performed very strongly for our brand.”
In addition to the work with George, Nyetimber is also the official sparkling wine of England Rugby and Richmond Rugby Club, adding to a sporting heritage that includes the Lawn Tennis Association, Henley Royal Regatta and British Cycling.
To find out more about Sporting Eric, email Jane Ditcham on jane@sportingeric.com