I grew up a sports nut and there was nothing more exciting for me as a kid than going to see a game live. It didn’t happen all that often since it was an expensive undertaking for a family of five, but when it did, I wanted to experience it all. I wanted to get there early to see my heroes warm-up, and I wanted to stay until the very end, no matter what the score.

That didn’t always happen, of course, with the dreaded words “beat the traffic” usually squashing my hopes of staying just a few minutes longer. But while I was there? There was no place I would rather be. I would beg my parents to buy me anything and everything: a hot dog, a souvenir cap, a bag of peanuts, a foam finger. All would fall on deaf ears since we were the family that would sneak in our own snacks to avoid paying the “ridiculous prices” at the stadium.

This is when I like to arrive at a game. Can’t be too early.

Show up early…

My love for attending live sporting events has continued into adulthood even as the home viewing experience has continued to improve (you should see the size of the T.V. we just bought). Now, as a parent, I have tried to instill that love of live sports into my two boys, both of whom have serious withdrawal issues when I tell them to put their phones away and take in the game.

Part of the allure for them, though, is knowing that I will buy them just about anything at the stadium particularly since “dining” options at the various stadia across the country have improved dramatically over the last couple of decades. Anyone who has been to a live sporting event recently knows that while the food options might not be the healthiest, there is plenty from which to choose.

Unfortunately, the adult beverage choices have not kept apace. You can drink anything you want. As long as it’s beer. Sure, some places offer “signature cocktails” that will require a second mortgage to acquire but I have never been the cocktail kind of guy.

No, I have spent more time than I would like to admit circling various arenas looking for a decent glass of wine. Sure, I have been able to find what technically most would consider “wine” but in my mind, any bottle with a naked extremity or a colorful animal appendage does not constitute a “decent glass of wine.”

But.

Maybe that is all about to change.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to an event at the Toyota Center, the arena in Houston, home of the Houston Rockets. The event was being held at one of the restaurants in the facility which are owned and operated by the Landry’s Restaurant Group, which, in turn, is owned by Tilman J. Fertitta, who also owns the Rockets.

The event was to celebrate a new partnership: the Rockets had teamed up with the Sonoma County Winegrowers to be the exclusive provider of wine for Rockets games at the Toyota Center.

Whoa.

Wait a minute.

I instantly had a ton of questions and luckily Karissa Krause, the executive director of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, was kind enough to first invite me to the dinner and subsequently answer my myriad questions.

Rodney Strong Symmetry, at a basketball game? How civilized.

Pairing it with a poached pear? Not so sure, but baby steps.

While not unique (the Sonoma County Winegrowers started a relationship with the San Francisco Giants last year), this type of relationship is certainly rare as most (all?) sporting venues have contracts with particular brands or conglomerates, not regions. This relationship with the Rockets means that a variety of wines, from all across Sonoma County could potentially be sold during the game as the only requirements are that the wines are already sold in Texas and that there is sufficient production to be sold, well, at a stadium that holds 19,000 people.

If the dinner I attended is any indication, this new partnership will be a boon for the wine-loving sports fan.

Fantastic menu.

The event itself was fantastic. The menu prepared by the folks at Landry’s (who have been partners with the Sonoma County Winegrowers for a decade) was superb.

Scallops with Dutton Ranch Chardonnay. Yowza.

After dinner, we retreated to a private box and caught the game: the Rockets won! (Not that it mattered all that much to me, I am a 76ers fan.)

Driving home, a couple of thoughts hit me. First, I definitely will be attending more Rockets games in the future–the pairing of wine and sports for me has been a no-brainer for quite a long time. And second, could someone please explain to me why it has taken this long for something like this to happen?