Snoop Dogg Launched His Own Wine Label & Bottles Are Only $12

The red blend marks 19 Crime's first California wine.

Shutterstock
Shutterstock

We all know Snoop Dogg for his loyalty to gin and juice, blunts, and his on-air sidekick Martha Stewart, but unbeknownst to most, he's also quite the wine connoisseur. So much so that the iconic rapper and media personality has teamed up with 19 Crimes to create his very own bottle, the Snoop Cali Red.

The $12 bottle, which features a combo of petite syrah, zinfandel, and a splash of merlot, launched earlier this summer as the Australian-based winery's premiere California vino. And while the move might seem like a departure from Snoop Dogg's typical brand, the rapper himself says it's simply not. 

"The wine community is just about as good as the cannabis community," he told CNN Travel on Wednesday. "Because it is always great conversation, peace and good food. It is very social at the end of the day." 

But for Snoop, the decision to turn his personal passion for wine into an actual business venture had a lot to do with 19 Crimes itself. 

"For one, it's the brand's first California red, and I was born and raised here so I had to rep the West Coast," he told the outlet. "19 Crimes represents and celebrates second chances. We all have a past which is part of the journey and builds character. I wouldn't be who I am without my past, and I appreciate celebrating folks who have reinvented themselves along the way." 

The process for actually getting the concept off the ground was hands-on for Snoop. The rapper-turned-winemaker traveled to Northern California's Lodi region, where the blend was born, and was actively involved in the tasting process. "19 Crimes allowed me to come up with the perfect blend for me. Strong, bold and incredible -- just like the D-O-Double-G," he said. 

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.