NBA Star Carmelo Anthony Is About To Launch His Own Wine Company

Basketball fans who enjoy a glass of merlot or two rather than a more traditional beer while watching their favorite teams battle it out in the playoffs might get excited over the latest NBA wine news. While a number of interesting collaborations have strengthened the ties between the NBA and the wine industry, there is another joining the ranks. 

Perhaps you've seen, or tasted, a bottle of Domaine Curry and wondered if there's a connection between the wine label and the Golden State superstar. The answer is yes, Steph Curry's wife, Ayesha Curry, partnered with his sister, Sydel, to create the brand (per USA Today).

Curry isn't the only athlete to get in on the cabernet. Dwayne Wade launched Wade Cellars before retiring from the NBA and Portland's CJ McCollum along with his wife even bought a vineyard. Just last summer, Deadline reported that former NY Knicks player Carmelo Anthony, "widely considered the unofficial wine ambassador to the league," was creating a wine-focused podcast. Since then, the athlete started shooting hoops for the Lakers (via NBA) and recording episodes of the podcast, "What's In Your Glass?" with a lineup of celebrity guests including Mary J. Blige, John Favreau, and Leon Bridges. Now, Anthony has announced he is taking his love for wine one step further and launching his own wine company.

Ten-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony has been making some major moves on and off the court for some time. According to Food & Wine, the Laker has been working on launching his new wine brand, VII(N) — The Seventh Estate, for three years. The number in that brand name should ring a bell for Lakers fans. Wine Spectator points out it's a reference to Anthony's jersey number.

VII(N) — The Seventh Estate was created with "third-generation French winemaker" Stéphane Usseglio, and the first release will be a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape named "Oath of Fidelity," a tribute to François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, a revolutionary who helped earn Haiti's independence from France (via Food & Wine). As Wine Folly explains, "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" is a French wine appellation in the Southern Rhône Valley next to Avignon and means "pope's new castle" referring to a period when the pope resided in Avignon. Reportedly, the wine will be composed of Grenache and Mourvèdre, which are two types of popular red wine grapes (via USA Wine Ratings). Oath of Fidelity is scheduled to be out this fall, but Food & Wine warns there are only 200 cases expected for the first release, and a salary akin to that of one of Anthony's teammates might be required to actually afford a bottle.