Yao Family Wines, the critically acclaimed Napa Valley winery founded by retired basketball star and global humanitarian Yao Ming, is releasing its most exclusive wine “THE CHOP” paired with a limited edition NFT. Yao Family Wines becomes the first winery in the world to offer a wine for auction paired with an NFT digital collectible. The CHOP DROP goes live on Wednesday, April 14, 12 pm PST at THE CHOP DROP for 48 hours.
Yao Family Wines Debuts Napa Wine with NFT
The CHOP DROP wine and NFT auction offers 200 paired lots. A special auction will be held for bottle #11 of THE CHOP and NFT #11, a one-of-one offering in homage to the year that Yao Family Wines released its first vintage, and for the number Yao Ming wore during his NBA career.
THE CHOP 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from a single barrel of wine from a single vineyard in the famed Rutherford District of Napa Valley.
The wine’s name and label design are inspired by the Chinese chop (or seal) used by individuals as a signature on official documents and works of art for thousands of years. The seal featured on each bottle of THE CHOP represents the founder’s family name YAO in ancient Chinese script and has been featured on each bottle of Yao Family Wines since inception.
“Pairing this exquisite wine with a limited edition NFT should appeal to wine collectors, sports memorabilia collectors, NFT collectors, early adopters, and anyone who appreciates the value of one-of-a-kind assets,” Jay Behmke, President, Yao Family Wines said. “As a Napa Valley-based winery with a Chinese founder, we’re also pleased to dedicate a portion of proceeds from THE CHOP DROP to the Asian American community at this critical time.”
“Blockchain is the biggest technology revolution since the Internet. The emergence of NFTs is the first consumer-oriented expression of value creation beyond crypto currency. NFTs are a glimpse into the future of blockchain-powered assets and will become the standard for ownership, trading, provenance and trust,” said Jonas Hudson, Co-Founder of The GFT™ Exchange, who, along with AIB Sportsbrands, Inc. (operators of MORE Lifestyle Sports Media) handled the launch strategy, blockchain platform development and NFT design.
Read Also: Guild of Chefs Announces Leadership Team & 2021 Committee
A percentage of proceeds from THE CHOP DROP will support the Asian American community. Beneficiaries include Asian Health Services (Oakland, Calif.), the Chinatown Community Development Center (San Francisco), the Chinese American Museum DC (CAMDC), Lucky Chow (New York, NY), and The Museum of Chinese in America (New York, NY).
Learn more at THE CHOP DROP (thechopdrop.gftexchange.com) and unlock a free promotional Yao Family Wines NFT by creating a digital wallet today. Yao Family Wines are available online at www.yaofamilywines.com and in select markets in the US and internationally.
