On the streets, he’s known as E-40, a Vallejo rapper who has spent more than two decades hustling in the hip-hop game. But in the world of wine, E-40 goes by his birth name, Earl Stevens, and his line of wines has scored a surprise smash hit in the ultra-competitive beverage industry.
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.
