fred couples

Golfer Fred Couples and winemaker Mitch Cosentino have gotten into the wine business together, creating Couples & Co, a wine brand from pureCru Napa Valley. Wine Business.com reports that Couples first got into wine when he was in his 20s and started talking about a partnership with Cosentino in 2008. The first two offerings are a Super Tuscan style sangiovese and a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon blend. The Couples & Co 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon sells for $60 and the Couples & Co 2006 California Sanglovese is $32. Both wines have won several awards at wine competitions. The company will release its first Chardonnay later this month.

Golfer wine is a crowded category some of the golfers with wine labels that we have covered are:

Christie Kerr
Annika Sorenstam
Jack Nicklaus
Nick Faldo
John Daly
Greg Norman

From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--via Curbed, a building at 70 Broad Street has gone on the market for $45 million. The 15,218-square-foot building can be used as an office, mixed-use property or private residence and was reportedly owned by the late spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The listing is here.
--via the NY Times, John Steinbeck's former NYC apartment is listed at $2.1 million. The listing is here.
--Vogue contributing editor Lauren Santo Domingo and her husband Andrés Santo Domingo have purchased Michael Hirtenstein's townhouse at 23 Gramercy Park South for $18.5 million. The home was used as the Showtime showcase house and rooms were decorated by interior designers to reflect the themes of various Showtime shows.
--via Curbed, Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire Blackstone Group co-founder who listed his former home in East Hampton last month for $7.2 million, has already dropped the price to $6.75 million.
--via NY Times, Gisele Bundchen already listed her Barrow Street townhouse in New York. The supermodel has also re-listed her triplex penthouse at 347 West 11th Street, which has been on and off the market for two years now. The apartment first hit the market for $10.9 million back in 2007 and is now listed for $4.5 million.
--via NY Observer, the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations has paid $4.235 million for a 2,840-square-foot apartment at Trump World Tower. The apartment will reportedly be used by Afghanistan's UN ambassador, H.E. Zahir Tanin.
--via the NY TImes, the former New Jersey home of Michael Strahan and his ex-wife Jean has gone down in price is now listed for $4.75 million.
--via NY Observer, cardboard magnate Dennis Mehiel has chopped $5.4 million off the price of his Carhart Mansion duplex. It was listed for $34.9 million but is now at $29.5 million.
--Michael Steinberg, a portfolio manager at Sigma Capital, a hedge fund affiliated with Steve Cohen's SAC Capital, has picked up a new penthouse at 885 Park Avenue for $8 million.
--Clara Markowicz, co-founder of Original Media LLC and a co-producer of The Rachel Zoe Project, has paid $3.55 million for an apartment at 21 Astor Place.
--Fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski has paid $2.095 million for a two-bedroom condo at 52 East 4th Street.
--via Newsday, Richard Gere and Carey Lowell are expected to close on the sale of their Water Mill home this week. The 1.2-acre property was last listed for $7.2 million when it went into contract last month.

--via NY Observer, investor Ephraim Gildor has listed his duplex penthouse at the Park Laurel on West 53rd Street for $28 million. The listing is here.
--Terence Kawaja, a managing director at GCA Savvian Advisors, has paid $7.235 million for a 15th-floor apartment at 150 East 86th Street.
--Goldman Sachs executive Raj Sethi has put the apartment at 15 Central Park West that he bought for $4.1 million in December 2007 back on the market. It is listed at $7.1 million.
--Neil Hirsch, who founded Telerate, co-founded the Bridgehampton Polo Club in 1995, and was once married to comedy club queen Caroline Hirsch, has put his five-story townhouse at 15 Sutton Place on the market.for $12 million.
Leslie Lewis Sword, actress, writer, and daughter of the late Reginald Lewis, the former CEO of Beatrice Foods, has paid $8.136 million for an apartment at 150 East 86th Street


From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Oprah's favorite interior designer Nate Berkus has been spotted checking out a two-bedroom apartment at the Urban Glass House.
--Dutch-born financier Alex Roepers and his wife, Shafi, bought four empty acres on the ocean, right beside Dune Beach, on Meadow Lane in Southampton for around $17.5 million.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Former American Express Co. Chairman and CEO James Robinson III has sold his 35-acre Warren, Connecticut estate to architect Santiago Calatrava for $5.5 million, which is 25 percent below the $7.35 million asking price.
--Golfer Fred Couples has sold his Montecito, California home for $9.56 million, which is also nearly 25 percent less than the asking price.

From the Real Estalker:
--Ryan Cabrera's Hollywood home has been reduced to $1.1 million. He bought the home for $1.45 million in 2006 and has been trying to sell it since October 2008 when it was listed at $1.699 million. It's finally slid into short sale territory with a new asking price of $1.1 million.

I've heard that Ann Brenoff who writes the LA Times Hot Property column will be winding up work in April and striking off on new adventures. I'll miss her column and hope that the LA Times finds an equally talented writer to take her place.
From the LA Times Hot Property:
Dr. Robert Rey, the plastic surgeon who stars on "Dr. 90210" has listed his Beverly Hills home, shown above, at $5.295 million. The five-bedroom home includes a large pool and spa and a pro sports gym. The listing is here.
--Author James Arthur Ray has bought the Beverly Hills home Rodney Peete and Holly Robinson Peete. It was listed at $4.25 million and sold for $4 million.
--Professional golfer Fred Couples has listed his Montecito home for $12.5 million. The listing for the nine-bedroom home with ocean views is here.
--Producer Jon Peters put up a 6.5 acre chunk of land in Beverly Hills up for sale last year for $39.5 million. It didn't sell and is now back on the market for $19.995 million complete with the architect Richard Landry's dream home plans for the property. There is already a 14-car underground garage on the property. The listing is here.

From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--Model/actress Milla Jovovich has dropped the price on her townhouse at 100 Greenwich Avenue. It's been on and off the market for nearly a year and was once listed at $8.75 million but now sits at $7 million. The listing is here.
--via the NY Post, artist Jeff Koons has closed on the purchase of a six-story townhouse at 11 East 67th Street for $12 million, two years after he first went into contract.
--Hedge funder Scott Bommer and his wife Donya have lowered the price of their apartment at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South. They bought the four-bedroom unit for $28.5 million last July and put it on the market for $35 million in November. It's now listed at $29.75 million. The listing is here.
--Ivan Kaufman, the CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, and his wife Lisa, are paying $9.26 million for a four-bedroom apartment at 823 Park Avenue.
--Ira Resnick, the founder of the Motion Picture Arts Gallery, paid $10.1 million for a 37th-floor condo at the Millennium Tower on West 67th Street.
--It was once on the market for $50 million but now Lionel Pincus's 14-room duplex at the Pierre can be yours for just $35 million. The listing is here.
--Raymond Weil president Benny Shabtai really wants to sell at 870 Park Avenue. So much so that he has cut more than $13 million off the price. The 13-room contemporary Robert A.M. Stern-designed mansion has been on-and-off the market since 2004 and was once as high as $33 million. It is now listed for $19.95 million. The listing is here.
Soap opera actors Catherine Hickland and Michael Knight have sold their 12th-floor co-op at 255 West 84th Street for $2.3 million.
--The 24th-floor Trump International apartment once occupied by Rand Skolnick, the former CEO of Solgar Vitamins who died last year, has been discounted by $1 million after just a month on the market and now sits at $7.75 million. Check out the views at the listing here.
--Frederick Hill, director of Berry-Hill Galleries, has sold his two-bedroom penthouse at 43 West 64th Street for $2.55 million.
-- Karen and David Fleiss originally listed their duplex at 1030 Fifth Avenue for $47.5 million last June. They then lowered their price twice and tried selling off just the bottom floor for $15 million Then they tried selling the entire eight-bedroom unit to $25 million. Now they've re-listed the bottom floor once again for $12 million. The listing is here.
--Real estate heir Richard Mack has cut the price on his seven-floor townhouse on East 94th Street. He originally put the home up for sale for $59 million last summer but it is now listed at $42 million. The listing is here.

From the Real Estalker:
--Spice Girl Melanie Brown has put her Los Angeles home on the market. It's our estate of the day later today.
--There are rumors that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes could buy David and Victoria Beckham's home in Beverly Hills.
--Did guitar god Slash buy the home in the Mulholland Estates area of Beverly Hills belonging to Colleen Maloof? The home was listed at $8.95 million.
--Rhianna has been spotted house shopping in various locations around Los Angeles.
--Phil Maloof's Beverly Hills house has been reduced from $16.995 million to $10.865 million. The listing is here.
--Joe Maloof's Brentwood home has been reduced from $4.995 million to $4.2 million. The listing is here.
--The Bel Air mansion belonging to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony has been reduced from $8.5 million to $7.9 million. The listing is here.
--The Harvey Mudd Estate, which was our estate of the day in October 2008 has had another price reduction. It was originally listed at $11.495 million but now sits at $7.995 million.
--Singer Lenny Kravtiz has listed at three-bedroom home in Miami Beach, Florida. The listing is here. His NYC apartment at 30 Crosby also remains on the market for $14.995 million. The listing is here.
--Designer James Perse can get you to pay over $100 for a t-shirt but can he get you to pay $4.995 million for a one-bedroom home in Los Angeles? The listing is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Aaron Spelling's widow Candy Spelling has put her home on the market for $150 million.
--Radio host Don Imus has listed his home in Westport, Connecticut for $30 million. The listing is here.

From ONTD:
--The Malibu home used as the exterior for the Hannah Montana television show is available for $15 million.

From the Austin Statesman:
--One of my favorite estate of the day properties, a four-floor modern townhouse in Austin is back on the market for %6.5 million. It was listed for $7.5 million when it was our estate of the day in 2007.

For as long as he plays the game, Fred Couples, with his sauntering gait and effortless swing, will remain golf's king of cool. But a convincing case can be made that there's now an heir apparent: Geoff Ogilvy. In his laid-back manner, the rangy Australian ambled his way to victory last weekend at the Accenture Match Play Championship outside Tucson, Ariz. It was Ogilvy's second win of the young season and his second triumph at the Match Play in four years.

Couples, 49, long ago became synonymous with Ashworth clothing, whose soft-collared golf shirts became not only a staple on the course but a symbol of casual Friday. The 31-year-old Ogilvy just might have a similar effect on Puma's line of edgier golf apparel. While winning on Sunday, he wore a Puma Invisibonding Polo ($80), which has a relaxed drape and seamless stitching to promote freedom and comfort. On his feet were Puma Swing Crown GTX shoes ($275), featuring a series of "quills" on the soles designed to increase traction. The shoes also come in less expensive models.

To check out the rest of Puma Golf's spring/summer 2009 collection for men and women, visit www.puma.com. The items are available for purchase on the web sites of Puma and The Golf Warehouse (www.tgw.com) and at golf retailers nationwide.

One of the more welcome trends in golf is the renewed popularity of walking (with a caddie, ideally) over riding in a cart. And if you're going to walk, you need to pay attention to what you wear on your feet. ECCO, the Danish shoemaker known for its durable soft-soled styles, has introduced a top-of-the-line golf shoe designed for the player who wants comfort without sacrificing a classic look.

The World Class Ltd. Edition, which the company debuted at the recent PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, features super lightweight cushioning and an internal stabilizer for crucial support during the swing. It also has a Gore-Tex membrane for water resistance. In terms of styling, the shoe has genuine leather uppers and a handsome stitched saddle and leather welt. It comes in four color combinations: white on white, black on black, white with black saddle and white with coffee saddle (pictured). Priced at $430, the new model will be available at select on- and off-course retailers and at www.eccousa.com. You'll also see it on the feet of Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Aaron Baddeley and other sharp-dressed PGA Tour pros this season.