Former Phillies broadcaster Gary Matthews Sr. now a wine connoisseur

Phillies fans would have recognized the signature brown fedora hat that was spotted along one of the many aisles at the three-day Philadelphia Food and Wine Festival at the Valley Forge Casino.

It was somewhat unfarmiliar territory for former Phillies player and broadcaster Gary Matthews Sr., with no baseball equipment or scorebooks in sight. But there Sarge was, autographing bottles of a new Phillies wine that was released by Major League Baseball on behalf of Wine by Design, the league's wine licensee.

"This is the second event I've done with the wine," Matthews said. "I tasted a bunch of wines that they had and this is really a good bottle. I think anyone who buys it would be able to testify to that."

There are two different wines offered among the Phillies brand: a white chardonnay and a red that blends  abernet, Merlot and zinfandel. The white features tropical fruit and apples, creating a crisp, refreshing taste. The red has blackberries, cherries and an assortment of spices that go down well with food.

"I'm a cabernet drinker for sure," Matthews said with a chuckle. "So this is easy drinking for me."

Matthews judges these two bottles to be better than the one his former teammate and Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt, represented eight years ago. Back in 2008, the third baseman - who has since become one of Sarge's replacements in the TV booth - put his name on the "Mike Schmidt 548 Zinfandel."

"It was awful," Matthews quipped. "This is a lot, lot different. It's really good wine that you would recommend to someone else."

Wine by Design is the official licensee and behind the development of the first MLB Wine Collection. Eight teams are currently represented, and there have also been special "limited edition" releases for the All-Star Game and World Series. According to representatives for the company, more than 20 teams will have branded bottles by next season, and there will also be more special editions.