Treasury Wine Estates is celebrating the commencement of the 2023 AFL season by announcing Melbourne Captain Max Gawn as Pepperjack ambassador for the brand’s second year as the Official Wine of the AFL.

“I’m so excited to be pairing two of my favourite things, footy and wine, thanks to Pepperjack,” said Gawn.

“Bold and honest just like the Dees, it is my guest of choice for any occasion. It’s a well-known crowd favourite and always goes down well with footy, friends or a night in with my family. My favourite varietal would have to be the Barossa Shiraz.”

Treasury Premium Brands’ Director Marketing & Category Ben Culligan said: “As makers of Australia’s leading Shiraz, Pepperjack is excited to launch its partnership with Max, who is a true character of Australia’s national game, as well as continue to be the official wine of a game that brings people together.

“Max is one of the standout characters of the AFL. His warm and relaxed nature mixed with his honest and courageous leadership abilities encompasses the Pepperjack brand, making him the perfect ambassador.

“Pepperjack is also proud to partner with Australia’s national game for the second year in a row, as the official wine of the AFL. Pepperjack is centred around creating quality wine to be enjoyed with others and we are looking forward to sharing this once again with footy fans across the country in the 2023 Toyota AFL season and beyond.”

Building on from last year, the AFL will continue the popular content series ‘Friday Night Knock Offs’ brought to you by Pepperjack. Hosted by former AFL player, Dylan Buckley, the second edition of the series will commence in-line with Round 1, airing 4:30pm every Friday across the AFL’s channels. Buckley will continue to knock off with a new guest of character each week, chatting about footy and life.

“The weekly content series perfectly aligns to Pepperjack whilst also providing footy fans with an engaging series to celebrate the week that was over a glass of wine and anticipate the weekend of footy ahead,” said Culligan.