50 Cent launches $1,000 Champagne ‘for winners only’

American rapper 50 Cent has launched his own brand of Champagne “for winners only” with a gold-plated cross on every bottle and a blanc de blancs costing $1,000.

The Champagne was unveiled at a party in Atlanta last night following a US-based soft launch in April.

Called Le Chemin du Roi, meaning ‘the king’s path’, each bottle features a 14 karat gold-plated emblem resembling the king chess piece.

The range comprises a brut, rosé and blanc de blancs, retailing for $199, $325 and $999 respectively, although only the pink Champagne has been released so far.

Source of the fizz is Reims-based Champagne Castelnau, which is owned by the Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne (CRVC).

This is not the first time this cooperative has produced a pricy fizz for a celebrity, having been the supplier of the sparkling wine for Angel – the Champagne brand from American singer Mariah Carey.

Launched in 2010, it was priced at $1,000 for a brut NV, making it the most expensive example of its type in the history of Champagne. However, it has since been withdrawn from the market.

As for 50 cent, this is not his first foray into drinks branding. The rapper forged a partnership with the Holland-based Effen vodka in 2015, taking a minority stake in the company and promoting it on social media and in his song lyrics.

Although he was rumoured to have sold his stake in the company last year for $60m, the news was later denied by Effen’s owner, Beam Suntory.

Champagne is no stranger to celebrity endorsement, although brand ownership by famous figures is rare.

However, American rapper Jay-Z has owned Armand de Brignac Champagne for the past four years, having bought it from Sovereign Brands in 2014.

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter had already been an advocate of the brand, produced by Champagne Cattier, stretching back to the Champagne’s launch in 2006 when bottles of it appeared in his music video for the single Show Me What You Got.

db was the first to break news that Champagne De Venoge might create a cuvée in partnership with R&B singer Usher after he expressed a fondness for the brand, although we were later told by the brand that nothing was agreed.

Le Chemin du Roi is described as an “exclusive project” with Sire Spirits in the USA, and will initially be distributed in the country by Southern Wine and Spirits.

On his Instagram feed 50 Cent stated that the Champagne is “for winners only”.

Champagne Castelnau’s own range of fizz is priced from £25 to £85 for its prestige cuvée, called Hors Catégorie.

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