The footballing legend revealed that a fellow player drank the iconic wine without his permission, served in paper cups with ice cubes.
Former Barcelona and Inter Milan player Ronaldo was aghast when Brazil team mate Vampeta necked a wine that was only intended "for display".
Speaking on Brazilian podcast Charla, Ronaldo recalled the moment: "I bought a bottle of Petrus. I brought it home more for its symbolic value, being the most famous wine in the world. I had no intention of opening it," he said.
"Well, Vampeta opened it, took some plastic glasses, poured it, drank it and made a disgusted face, saying 'it's damn hot, is there ice in it?"
Vampeta then preceded to add an ice cube to each glass.
Horrified
Although Ronaldo believes Vampeta did not realise the Petrus was "special", he was horrified to witness one of the greatest wines in the world being chugged like cheap plonk.
"I couldn't believe it!" he said.
Ronaldo, born in Rio de Janeiro, has previously shared on Instagram that football "has opened the doors of the whole world for me" and "not just as a player..."
His experience travelling the globe for major championships introduced him to luxury dining, drinking and hospitality and the striker soon gained a reputation for partying. He was at the centre of the famous "dressing room" incident in 2006 where Real Madrid manager at the time Fabio Capello lambasted players because the space "smelled like alcohol".
Vampeta (real name Marcos André Batista dos Santos) represented Brazil's national team from 1998 until 2002, during which time the side won the 1999 Copa América and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His nickname is a fusion of the words vampiro (vampire) and capeta (Portuguese slang for devil). The footballer also played alongside Ronaldo in Dutch team PSV Eindhoven and Italian side Inter Milan.
Stuff of legend
The great age of Pétrus began with its successful 1945 vintage, which was introduced to the US by importer Jean-Pierre Moueix, who became the sole agent for the property.
In the decades that followed, the single-varietal Merlot became synonymous with luxury living and refined taste, with bottles often selling for thousands of pounds on the secondary market. In April 2024 Petrus appeared twice in the list of top-traded wines by value, according to Liv-ex, and with a staggering four vintages in the top 10. Both the 2005 and 2010 vintages traded in magnum format for £38,352 (packed as 3 x 150) and £39,354 (packed as 3 x 150) respectively.
However, in recent years Petrus has become such a status symbol that at times it has crossed over into the realm of parody in popular culture.
Last year, a A TikTok video appearing to show bottles of
2006 Petrus being used to make a €120,000 sangria went viral. The stunt, which may or may not have involved authentic Petrus wine, caused sommelier Philippe Faure-Brac, president of the French Sommelier Union, to compare the action to “using a Picasso or a van Gogh to make a fire”.
Status symbol
Celebrities, too, have clamoured for bottles in a bid to associate themselves with the aura of exclusivity surrounding the wine.
In 2023 rap artist Jay-Z visited Château Petrus as part of an
epic Bordeaux bar crawl for his 54th birthday celebrations, where the producer poured bottles of the 1969 vintage (Jay-Z’s birth year) for the
Hard Knock Life singer and his guests.
Rapper Nas referenced Petrus in his 2021 hit
The Pressure, referring to 'a $3,250 bottle of wine', and radio and TV star Frank Ski
posted a video of chat show icon Oprah on Instagram trying the wine for the first time, saying "Wow. It's like liquid velvet."
UK football star Wayne Rooney was gifted a £2,000 bottle of Petrus by wife Colleen for his 28th birthday. During the celebrations the Manchester United player used the wine to "wash down birthday cake".
The limited production of Petrus makes it highly sought-after, and unfortunately attractive for counterfeiters. In 2023,
three men were arrested in Paris after buying 20 bottles of Petrus from a legitimate wine merchant using fake bank notes. The exchange of the bottles and cash took place in a bistro in the city, where the merchant met the buyers. By the time he realised the cash was artificial and ran after the trolley which his bottles had been wheeled away on, it was too late.
The magic
Only around 30,000 bottles of Petrus are produced each year from 11ha of vineyard, which perch on the high terrace of Pomerol, Bordeaux. Clay soils are also thought to be a part of its magic, with two layers of distinct clay found on the estate. The topsoil of dark clay is 60 to 80 centimetres thick, but its unique subsoil packed with very dense, deep, dark blue clay, is not found in any other vineyard and contributes to the uniqueness of the wine.
Grapes are hand harvested and the gentle vinification takes place in cement vats before the wine is aged in 50% new French oak for 12 to 18 months.
Berry Bros & Rudd describes Petrus as being "among the most celebrated and recognisable wines in the world."
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