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(Gossip-Grind News) Is E-40 Taking Over The Wine Industry?

Bay Area rap legend Earl “E-40” Stevens is all about his money, with a nickname like Charlie Hustle, how can he not be. The 46-year-old rapper has spent more than two decades in the entertainment business and has now parlayed his fame into a lucrative wine venture called Earl Stevens Selections. Affordable wines priced $9.99 to $15.99.

E-40 has turned into the Robert Mondavi of hip-hop via his Earl Stevens Selections. His three wines include a red blend called “Function,” a moscato and high-alcohol fortified wine called “Mangoscato.” Since their October release, sales of E-40’s wines are already on par with such supermarket stalwarts as Rodney Strong and Ferrari-Carano. Earl Stevens Selections have sold more than 180,000 bottles in Northern California this year, an astonishing amount for a new wine brand.

Southern Wine & Spirits, a leading distributor, added Earl Stevens Selections to its portfolio in January. According to Paul Thompson, vice president and regional sales director for Southern Wine & Spirits, the supply of wines couldn’t keep up with demand in those early months.

Earl Stevens Selections quickly became one of the fastest-growing brands, he said, adding $2 million in gross sales to its distributor. Those sales dwarfed other celebrity wines carried by Southern Wine & Spirits, including Bethenny Frankel’s Skinny Girl wines and Save Me, San Francisco, a wine by the rock group Train. Earl Stevens Selections are now a staple in Northern California supermarkets and bottle shops, including BevMo!, Total Wine & More, Coscto and SaveMart. (The Sacramento Bee)

With the success that the company has already had, if he’s able to sustain sales, the sky is the limit for E-40 and his Earl Stevens Selections.