It’s not too long to wait for the jamboree of world football! Here at Classic Wine Direct, we thought we’d get into the spirit of things too by suggesting a preferred vintage for each of the qualifying nations that has a tradition of viticulture. There will be a part two to come and in future posts we might cover Brazil, but since they’ve won just about everything going it seems to be gilding the lily a bit! If you have a personal favourite then let us know…..
PS. For the record the full list of qualifiers is: South Africa, Argentina , Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Cameroon, Chile, Cote d’Ivoire, England, France, North Korea, Germany, Greece, Ghana, Honduras, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, USA, Serbia and Uruguay.
South Africa: Automatically qualified as the host country, Bafana Bafana (very roughly “the Boys”) plans to make a name for themselves as the hosts of the first World Cup on the African continent. South Africa went to its first World Cup in 1998 where they played out draws against Denmark and Saudi Arabia, but got mauled by France. They’ve never advanced beyond the first round in their two previous tournament appearances but did win the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Benni McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers, Ajax, Porto and Celta Vigo) is South Africa’s top scorer with 31 goals. World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira of Brazil returned to coach South Africa for a second time and is the latest of 10 coaches that South Africa hired since 2000!
Wine: Millberg Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
Australia: the land of the Outback, Ayers Rock, the Great Barrier Reef, Walking Holidays, Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour and the amazing Opera House produces some good footballers (the Socceroos) and some great wines. Australia made its first World Cup appearance in 1974 and their first and so far only win came in 2006 against Japan. They’ve won the Oceania Nations Cup four times, pummelling the smaller Pacific Island teams into submission (they beat American Samoa 31-0, a record for goal difference in international football matches) but New Zealand remains a tough rival.
Wine: Larry Cherubino The Yard Shiraz 2006
England: The Three Lions are expected to achieve much under the steely steering of Fabio Capello. England went to their first World Cup in 1950 where they beat Chile, but lost to Spain and the United States. England has never won the European Championships but we all know that they beat Germany in 1966 to win the World Cup on home soil: one of only seven teams to ever win the World Cup. Maybe it should really be regarded as the British national team as England’s coaching staff is comprised of five Italians, 13 English and One Scot headed up by now an Italian, formerly a Swede, and previously an Englishman.
Wine: Denbies Wine Estate Surrey Gold
Spain: Think of Spain, think of flamenco, paella, tapas, olive oil, siesta, and great wines. But also think football. La Liga is one of the most competitive cauldrons of soccer in the world. One of the major contenders for the World Cup in 2010, many think Spain’s time has come. Spain has won the European Championships twice and at Euro 2008 in Austria & Switzerland, they showed exceptional form and marched through the tournament undefeated, Iker Casillas, Spanish goalkeeper, holds the record for international clean sheets with 56 in just 98 games. So they are exciting up front and hard to break down at the back. FIFA ranked Spain No.1 before the 2010 World Cup – the only team ever to reach top spot that has not yet won the tournament. That may well change.
Wine: Finca OS Cobatos Godello Blanco 2007
Germany: What can you say about the arch nemesis? Germany has won the World Cup three times with a disciplined, grinding approach that has only recently been leavened by a bit of flair. Germany has been runners-up four times at the World Cup and they’ve made a record 11 semi-final appearances. Perhaps the most consistent performers at the World Cup, they often finish at or near the top. Germany is also the only nation to have won both the men’s and women’s World Cups with the frauleins winning the last two tournaments and never being ranked less than 3rd in the world.
Wine: Weegmuller Kabinett Trocken Riesling
Italy: Arguably one of the greatest footballing nations in the world, which is probably why the country is boot-shaped. The Azzurri won the European Championships in 1968 and Italy has won the World Cup four times, second only to Brazil. They’re the current defending champions, having beaten France in a penalty shoot-out in a game that was enlivened when French superstar Zinedine Zidane head-butted Italian centre back Marco Materazzi, sending him sprawling. Zidane was red-carded, the French lost, and Italy nabbed another trophy. FIFA ranked Italy 4th before the 2010 World Cup, though they’ve enjoyed top spot a couple of times before. Frankly, the Italians probably don’t care about the rankings. All they want is to defend their title.
Wine: Fontella Chianti DOC 2007
France: Les Bleus played in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have made 12 World Cup appearances (although on six of those times they didn’t make it past the first round). In 1998 France won the World Cup on home soil, beating Brazil 3-0 with two headers from Zinedine Zidane and a late goal in stoppage time from Emmanuel Petit. France qualified for the 2010 World Cup just barely. After a poor start, they ended up edging out Ireland through a Thierry Henry handball, which everyone except the ref. saw. Despite Irish appeals, the French are in South Africa. FIFA rank France 7th, but rankings mean nothing to the French. Just before they won the World Cup in 1998, they were ranked 25th!
Wine: Les Dames De Ricardelle Viognier Vin De Pays D’oc 2007
Greece: unbelievably to many, Greece beat the Portuguese (twice!) in Portugal to become European Champions in 2004. A good showing at the World Cup would do a lot to shore up their credentials and prove that wasn’t a fluke. Greece has made only one previous trip to the World Cup in 1994 when they crashed out in the first round under humiliating circumstances: 4-0 defeats at the hands of the USA and Bulgaria and a 2-0 spanking by Nigeria. FIFA ranked Greece 12th before the 2010 World Cup, which is a slight drop from their highest number 8 ranking in 2008. Eight members of the Greek squad play for the Greek club Panathinaikos, an Athens-based team. Their symbol is a shamrock, so maybe they’ll be lucky this time round.
Wine: Biblia Chora Sauvignon Blanc 2007
