Inside The Ultimate Fan Happy Hour At WNBA All-Star Weekend

ICYMI, WNBA Live was the place to be during All-Star weekend. Held at McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, Illinois, from Thursday, July 23 to Saturday, July 25, the ultimate fan experience invited guests to celebrate the weekend with fan-centered interactive activations, insightful panels, and meet-and-greets with top players in the game.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without a toast, which is exactly where La Crema comes in. As the official wine partner of the WNBA, La Crema kept glasses full and vibes up with their high-energy wine lounge situated right next to the main stage at WNBA Live.

Designed to be a wine lover’s dream, the space was decked out with two wine bars where fans could sample three complimentary pours of La Crema’s most delicious wines. You could go bright with the Chardonnay, refreshing with the Monterey Rosé, crisp with the Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, or warm and cozy with the classic Monterey Pinot Noir. The energy was unmatched, thanks to the duo of DJ oddCouple and local sommelier Derrick C. Westbrook, the founders of Samples and Samples, who emceed the wine lounge’s lineup of events. Add in exciting appearances from WNBA players, inspiring panels, and plenty of fan giveaways, and you’ve got the recipe for an event to remember. Keep reading to discover the full rundown of the weekend.

Cheers To Women Winning

To kick things off and set the tone for the weekend, La Crema hosted an exclusive player-featured dinner at the iconic Gibson’s Steakhouse. Fans and guests gathered for an incredible evening of world-class dining and fine wine alongside WNBA superstars Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces.

Even more exciting appearances continued the next day, as guests enjoyed a panel all about celebrating women change-makers. Moderated by sommelier Derrick C. Westbrook, Playa Society founder Esther Wallace and sports journalist and commentator Ari Chambers discussed the importance of investing in women and in the WNBA. They also talked about their goals for the future and took questions from the audience.

Let The Wine Games Begin

After the panel, La Crema winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs joined Wallace and Westbrook to kick off WNBA Wine Hour and the unveiling of a very special launch: La Crema’s limited edition WNBA White Wine. A collaboration between La Crema and the WNBA, the wine was a new opportunity for La Crema to create a unique white blend (a Chenin Blanc-dominate blend — for those in the know) for fans to celebrate and toast the continued rise and momentum of women’s basketball. “Coming up with this wine was definitely a creative path,” says Valtenbergs. “My focus in putting this blend together was to make a wine that enticed people to dive in, [and was] approachable, fresh, and friendly. [You’ll] return to the wine for another glass, another bottle, and come back to it.”

As for the bottle’s label, Wallace designed it to captured the WNBA’s signature oatmeal-tangerine color palette and immaculate summer vibes. “I wanted it to feel like you’re on the vineyard,” she says. “I’m just leaning into all of these shades that feel summery and connected in that way.”

Fans sampled the limited edition blend at the La Crema wine bar before the start of the wine games. Golden State Valkyries star players Kaitlyn Chen, fresh off of scoring a career high 20 points against the Washington Mystics, and Tiffany Hayes joined Westbrook for the first game: the Blind Tasting. Here, both players got a crash course in wine tasting before blind tasting three varieties of La Crema wines. With a little help from the audience, Chen and Hayes got all three wines correct.

Next, they moved on to the 24-Second Shot Clock Challenge. Armed with only a corkscrew, the two players raced each other to see who could open a bottle first. Though Chen approached it methodically and focused on removing the foil first, Hayes went straight for the cork — foil and all — and narrowly edged out Chen for the win.

For the final game, the Downtown Pour, the players followed one simple rule: Whoever poured a full glass of wine from the highest height wins. Another nail-biter, but Hayes came out victorious again. The players stayed after to take photos, sign autographs, and mingle with fans.

Star-Studded Moments

The excitement carried into the second day of the weekend with a special player appearance from DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky. Carrington dropped by the La Crema lounge to interact with fans, talk wine and hoops, and bring even more star power to the space.

Guests also enjoyed a selfie station by Flip’n Sweet. And it wouldn’t be a party without super fun giveaways. Fans walked away with La Crema foam fingers, clear fanny pack stadium bags, and “Cheers to Women Winning” posters and pins to remember the day. So, cheers to that.