Becoming the league’s first official wine partner in 2024, La Crema‘s WNBA partnership is creating new opportunities for WNBA fans and athletes. Utilizing its history as a woman-led brand, La Crema is not only investing meaningfully in activating the sponsorship, but identifying opportunities for WNBA athletes beyond the game.
Founded in Sonoma County in 1979, the rungs of La Crema’s corporate ladder are filled with impactful women who sought to discover new vineyard terrains while executing strong business practices to secure the brand’s success. This legacy made the WNBA a natural partner fit when La Crema began “seeking new and unexpected ways to engage with emerging audiences,” according to Jackson Family Wines vice president of partnerships, Vince Urmini.
“As the league continues to rise in cultural influence, we saw an exciting opportunity to align with an organization that reflects our brand values and passion for building community,” Urmini told RULING SPORTS.
A synergy existed in what La Crema saw as its and the WNBA’s “shared emphasis on quality and excellence to a commitment to elevating women’s voices and experiences,” Urmini explained. “We saw this as more than just a sponsorship; it’s cultural alignment.”
That alignment led La Crema to seek ways “to connect with WNBA fans in a meaningful and celebratory way by showing up at key moments in the season,” Urmini noted.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend was one such key moment. There, La Crema joined a record number of WNBA partners and licensees in activating at WNBA Live, a fan festival showcasing the WNBA’s intersection with fashion, music and culture. La Crema’s WNBA Live presence featured a carefully designed tasting room allowing fans to sample its Monterey Chardonnay and Monterey Pinot Noir wines. Fans also engaged with panels focused on promoting women in sports and driving investment into the growth of the WNBA.
La Crema tapped into another element of WNBA culture during All-Star Weekend: fashion. In partnership with women’s streetwear brand, Playa Society, La Crema launched the “Cheers to Women Winning” capsule collection. The collection includes t-shirts and hoodies depicting basketball and wine motifs.
“This collaboration is about giving women their flowers—on and off the court,” Playa Society’s founder, Esther Wallace said. “‘Cheers to Women Winning’ is a toast to everyone that’s breaking barriers, showing up, and setting the tone.”
Events like WNBA Live are driving impactful results for La Crema. Urmini notes that the brand has “seen wine sales increase by more than 200% in and around arenas where we activate.” While these numbers demonstrate the strong return on investment available to companies that appropriately activate women’s sport sponsorships, Urmini says, the player response to the partnership is “even more exciting.”
“We’ve worked with over a dozen current and retired WNBA athletes, and many have been organic supporters of our brand before, during and after working with us,” he said. “That genuine enthusiasm is what makes this partnership so rewarding.”
Such enthusiasm may see a new trend: the WNBA athlete winemaker.
By launching Deldon Wines in 2023, Elena Delle Donne became the first WNBA player with a wine brand. At the time, Delle Donne said, “launching Deldon Wines is a dream come true for me because it ticks so many boxes in terms of my values.” While NBA players have increasingly launched wine brands, to date, Delle Donne remains the only current or former WNBA player with her own label.
Urmini sees La Crema’s WNBA partnership changing that.
“There’s so much passion and curiosity around wine within the WNBA community,” he said. “We frequently receive outreach from players and coaches who are eager to learn more or collaborate with us. There’s no doubt that wine will be an exciting next chapter for many of these athletes, whether that’s through partnerships or content. It won’t be long until you see one with their own wine label.”
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