Wine and sports activities have at all times gone hand in hand. Carmelo Anthony would know: When he performed for the Denver Nuggets, he was bitten by the wine bug,and rapidly unfold that like to different gamers, together with friends Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Paul.
Along with cofounder Asani Swann, Anthony launched his personal model, VII(N) The Seventh Property in 2022, however the newest launch, a partnership with legendary Napa vineyard Robert Mondavi, is the one to look at. Dubbed Ode to Soul, the wine is a strong pink mix that includes grapes from the storied To Kalon vineyards within the coronary heart of Napa’s Oakville district. It marks Anthony’s continued evolution as a wine drinker right into a full-fledged winemaker. Bon Appétit sat down with Anthony, Swann, and Mondavi’s chief winemaker Geneviève Janssens to debate the journey to Ode to Soul, and the way the workforce desires to make wine extra inclusive for brand new audiences.
This interview has been condensed and edited for readability.
BA: A few NBA gamers have been moving into wine. Are you able to talk about how you bought into it and the way it went from a passion to you saying, “I’ll take this critically?”
CA: I began off not understanding what I used to be doing, simply having a glass of wine after video games, earlier than I began accumulating. This was in all probability 2005 or 2006, so I used to be heavy on Napa and California wines again then. I appeared again after being on this wine journey and realized I used to be spending some huge cash, so I believed “I would as effectively put this cash into my very own factor.” I did not know the enterprise that effectively, so it was exhausting for me to simply dive proper into it. As soon as I had an understanding of what I actually wished, and after I felt like I perfected my palate, I used to be able to enter the market.
Entering into the wine business, it was very tough, no one was actually providing you with the sport. I actually wished to mix one thing that is comprehensible to folks with totally different palates. Ode to Soul is exclusive as a result of it was crafted in a means the place we wished followers of the Robert Mondavi model to acknowledge and relate, but in addition customers who wished to attempt new issues, to convey folks new to wine.
BA: How would you describe Ode to Soul to a buddy?
CA: It’s easy and darkish, with just a little trace of licorice. It is like music, and dances just a little bit.
Asani Swann having fun with a glass of Ode to Soul.
