Which NBA players have their own wines? Carmelo Anthony, CJ McCollum lead list

Nick Metallinos

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Which NBA players have their own wines? Carmelo Anthony, CJ McCollum lead list image

"What are we, Europeans, with the Beaujolais and the chardonnay?" 

When Geroge Costanza made his snide remark in an episode of Seinfeld wine drinnking hadn't yet become the fashionable hobby it is today.

Especially not in the NBA world. 

As NBA stars realised they had more opportunitoes outside of sneaker endorsments and cereals, and as their own tastes developed beyond what they already knew, wine production has become the latest trend to hit the league. 

Now it's just as common to find a player learning about the intricacies of winemaking as it is to find one dissecting hoops. 

Which NBA players have their own wines? The Sporting News has you covered right here. 

Carmelo Anthony 

Ten-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony has been drinking wines dating back to his days on the Denver Nuggets. Back then, it wasn't as fashionable in the NBA world as it is now. 

"There was no wine in the NBA," Anthony has said about his first years in the league. "My journey had been going since [2005], not even knowing that I was on a wine journey. I was drinking wine, going to a restaurant, sitting at the bar, asking for a glass of wine with [teammates] just looking at me like, 'Man, what is he doing?'" 

Fast forward to 2022, and Anthony has launched his own wine, VII(N) — The Seventh Estate — a project that had been over three years in the making. 

Just like he's been throughout his career on an NBA court, 'Melo isn't in the wine world just to make up the numbers, either.

He's teamed up with Stéphane Usseglio, a third-generation French winemaker, to source from 80-year-old vines at the Le Mourre du Gaud vineyard in the Rhone region of Southern France. 

Anthony is so invested in wine and learning about it, that he also started his own successful podcast called 'What's in Your Glass' where he speaks to celebrities and wine lovers worldwide. 

C.J. McCollum 

“Wine brings people together and connects them to each other, to history, to places and to culture.” - C.J. McCollum

The Pelicans' McCollum is also heavily invested in wine, he went as far as to purchase his own winery. 

McCollum became the NBA's unofficial wine go-to guy in the Covid-bubble of 2020. Then with the Blazers, McCollum reportedly had 84 bottles stored in his room and kept his hotel room at certain temperatures throughout his time there to protect the bottles as well. 

In 2021, he launched his own wine, the McCollum Heritage 91 in partnership with Oregon's Adlesheim Vinyard, and in September of that same year, he purchased a Willamette Valley Vinyard in Oregon as well. It is over 300 acres. 

"As we explored the long-term vision of McCollum Heritage 91 and beyond, we truly craved enhancing our sense of place, which is represented by the acquisition of this beautiful property," he said. 

McCollum is the only active NBA player that owns his own Vinyard. 

Dwyane Wade

The Heat icon launched his wine company earlier this year and says it was borne of a desire to make wine accessible to a wide range of people. 

Wade Cellars encompasses a broad range of wines - both red and white blends - and Wade says his wine company sprung from visiting the Napa Valley. 

"I started going to Napa Valley, so I got a chance to start experiencing a little bit of the wine world and like, really loving what I was learning about, especially about how to make wine," said Wade. 

Channing Frye 

Frye was a part of the Cavaliers 'wine team' along with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love as their love of wine brought them together. 

During their time together on the Cavaliers, Frye and Love would often bring each other wines while on the road, exploring and learning about different wines from around the world.

In 2020, Frye launched Chosen Family Wines in collaboration with L'Angolo Estate (also from the Willamette Valley). 

“I was first introduced to Oregon wines in 2007, when I played for the Portland Trail Blazers," Frye said.

"As I continued my own wine journey, I noticed that wine was taking up a lot of my life in a great way, especially through the conversations it opened up, and the way wine connected people.

"I started Chosen Family so that I could continue to connect people through some of the best wines imaginable. This is a passion project. I get excited talking about this every day.”

Stephen Curry 

Curry partnered up with his wife Ayesha, sister Sydel and John Schwartz, owner of Amuse Bouche and Coup de Foudre to launch Domaine Curry wines. 

In 2019 they released the Gentlemen's Cut, a "Euro-step" blend, curated for Ayesha and Sydels' husbands Stephen Curry & Damion Lee, which is composed of 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Only 500 bottles were produced. 

 

Nick Metallinos

Nick Metallinos Photo

Nick has been working exclusively within the NBA world for over a decade. He hosted 46 episodes of Ball or Nothin' - a show screened on ESPN highlighting the social media aspects of the NBA. Nick has covered 3 NBA Finals, 5 NBA All-Star weekends, 8 NBA drafts, 5 Jordan Brand Classics plus dozens of playoff games and hundreds of regular season games. 
Nick spends his spare time trying to decide which sneakers best match his outfit.