WNBA star, Delaware native Elena Delle Donne launches her own wine with Capriotti's twist

Correction: The name of Capriotti's founder Lois Margolet was initially misspelled in this article.

Usually when Elena Delle Donne is dribbling, it means an opponent is probably in trouble.

Now, it might mean a ruined shirt.

The Wilmington native has become the first WNBA star with her own brand of wine in collaboration with a Delaware charity with First State roots so deep, it involves Capriotti's Sandwich Shops.

Deldon Wines is born

Deldon Wines' first release is a Pinot Noir hand-selected by the basketball-playing wine enthusiast, available online at ddprojectwines.com/Deldon and exclusively in-store at Frank's Wine (1206 N. Union St., Wilmington). The online price is $49 and it costs $59.99 at Frank's.

It will soon be available at more stores in Delaware and nationwide.

The Willamette Pinot, which features notes of fresh blueberry, cola and baking spice along with a presence of candied cherry and sweet tobacco, comes from the Bluebird Hill Cellars vineyard in Monroe, Oregon.

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"Launching Deldon Wines is a dream come true for me because it ticks so many boxes in terms of my values," Delle Donne said in a statement announcing the vino. "I knew my next project would be a wine brand because wine has always been part of my connection with my family ― and anyone who knows my story knows how much family means to me.

"Being able to share this family connection with the world while also supporting charitable causes that are deeply meaningful to me makes me so excited to launch Deldon Wines.”

The Washington Mystics forward, who led the team to a championship in 2019, is a two-time MVP and seven-time all-star. She was also the first WNBA player to join the 50–40–90 club (50 percent field goal percentage, 40 percent three-point field goal percentage and 90 percent free throw percentage) in 2019.

Proceeds go to charity

All proceeds from the sale of Deldon will be equally split between the Elena Delle Donne Foundation and the DD Entrepreneurial Foundation.

The Elena Delle Donne Foundation has become well-known since its founding in 2017. It raises funds for and awareness of Lyme disease research, special needs programs and animal welfare work, inspired in part by Delle Donne's older sister Lizzie, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and autism.

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DD Entrepreneurial Foundation might be more obscure for most. Founded by Wilmington native David Britz last year, it benefits female entrepreneurial and educational initiatives in Delaware and other states.

The Capriotti's connection

Britz, who works in the music business in Los Angeles, founded DD Entrepreneurial Foundation and its offshoot DD Project Wines to honor his late mother Diane Rizzo, cousin of Capriotti's founder Lois Margolet.

Rizzo mortgaged her family home and opened the second Capriotti’s location in 1988 on Basin Road in New Castle, becoming an early partner in Capriotti’s, which now has 159 franchises across 27 states. She also happened to be a big fan of Pinot Grigio, hence the foundation's focus on wine.

The origins of the foundation can be traced back to the day Britz was writing his mother's eulogy in 2019 after her death.

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"I was thinking that I have to take this pain that I was feeling, turn it into something positive and find a way to keep her memory alive," says Britz, owner of WORKS Entertainment, a music management and event production company, which organizes the annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway festival.

"I then conceptualized this idea of wine as a vehicle to support other women who were like her because, if you think about it ― her and Lois ― being a female-led company at the time was just sort of unheard of," he adds.

The foundation has already issued $40,000 in grants supporting female-owned small businesses.

How Delle Donne teamed up with the Capriotti's family

While the wine brand launch was officially announced earlier this month, its launch actually dates back to October when Deldon was unveiled at Delle Donne's annual charity golf event at Fieldstone Golf Club in Centreville.

Knowing Delaware's tight-knit community, you might think a Delle Donne/Capriotti's connection comes from knowing each other personally.

And it could have been possible, considering Britz is a Salesianum graduate who is still active with the school and Delle Donne's brother Gene is the head football coach there.

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"In Delaware, we know each other by a degree at least, but that's not how this happened," says 44-year-old Britz.

Deldon's debut dates back to a cold call of sorts, but via e-mail.

Britz saw Delle Donne hosts the golf tournament each year and offered to be a wine sponsor last year. An agreement was reached and as Britz got to know Delle Donne and her wife Amanda, the idea grew naturally.

"Amanda mentioned Elena would love to do her own wine at some point and asked if that was something we could help with," Britz says. "I was like, 'Yes, absolutely.'"

Soon, Deldon was born. And it didn't hurt that Delle Donne is also a big Capriotti's fan.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne enters wine world with Capriotti's twist