Sure, everyone knows about Olympic sports: skiing, swimming, track, and beyond. But what about an Olympics of wine?
That was Carmelo Anthony‘s dream. Instead of buying a winery, the retired NBA legend sought to use his experience traveling the world—from to Spain to France and beyond—throughout his career to produce wines from vineyards from every corner of the globe. And the three-time Olympic gold medalist had a passion for wine for quite some time before dipping his toes into the industry—though not everyone understood why at first.
“People was laughing at me, and it was just like, ‘Why are you drinking wine? You’re 21 years old,’” Anthony said during a discussion at Robb Report’s House of Robb San Francisco ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend. “From that point on, I knew I was onto something because people were teasing me about it.”
It’s that inkling that led the former Knicks star to start his own wine brand, VII(N) The Seventh Estate, with business partner and cofounder Asani Swann, in 2022. The company, which launched with a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape called Oath of Fidelity, now has nine vinos under its belt. The lineup aims to create a sort of World Cup of wines, where the best wines from regions like France, Spain, and the U.S. have a chance to go head-to-head.
Carmelo Anthony at Robb Report’s House of Robb San Francisco, ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend.
As for their most recent launch, Anthony and Swann teamed up with the famed Robert Mondavi Winery to drop Ode to Soul, a red blend made of fruit from Napa’s renowned To Kalon vineyard, late last year. Names of wines are a particular point of pride for VII(N) The Seventh Estate. “’Ode’ is paying homage to,” Swann said during the discussion. “And I thought about, wow, the To Kalon Vineyard and where it’s located. . .Those grapes are so well cared for the way that the sun drenches those grapes, the way that the terroir has been drenched by with the rain and fog. And when you put all of that together, the symbolism of that, of the grapes that grew from that vine, are breaking through and paying homage to that which came before, but also because we are paying homage to those who came before us as well.”
Swann also noted how rare it is to be able to work with a team like Mondavi. “Melo and I had a very clear intention of what we wanted to create with them,” she said. “We wanted to create a premium wine, we wanted it to be accessible, and we wanted it to invite a diverse group of individuals to partake. Having that understanding going into the process is key to the success of what we create.”
The end result was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, offering a bit of muscular tannins; Cabernet Franc, adding aromatics and finesse; and, finally, a touch of Petit Verdot. Of the third grape, Mondavi director of winemaking Kurtis Ogasawara said they “just had to do it. It’s 1 percent, which may not seem like much, but that’s the kiss at the end.”
Anthony echoed the sentiment. “The secret sauce is the Petit Verdot. That 1 percent changes the whole complexity of that bottle.”
The group also offered tips for those who were looking to break into the wine industry. “My advice would be: start,” Swann said. “If you look at the industry and don’t see yourself, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
As for the tasting notes for VII(N) The Seventh Estate’s new Napa bottle, Anthony offered up some advice of his own: “When in doubt, just drink [it].”
Cheers to that.
