Global rap star Future and Ohza founder Ryan Ayotte want consumers to drink in style with Roué, a new brand of fine wines and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails launching this month.
According to a press release, Future co-founded Roué with Ayotte, who is serving as CEO, this year after noticing a “gap in the market” for quality wines without “the intimidating jargon of traditional wine culture.”
“I enjoy wine, but couldn’t find a brand that truly reflected me, something current, innovative and connected to the culture,” said Future in the release. “So, I created it. Roué is about bringing diversity into the wine world and showing what’s possible when creativity and culture collide.”
In RTD cocktails, Roué is releasing two wine-based offerings in glass bottles: Ruby Passion and Lemon Lust, both made with natural fruit juice. The drinks have an ABV of 8% and will sell for $14.99 per 4-pack.
On the wine side, Roué is launching with a 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, both made with California grapes. Each bottle will retail for $29.99.
The brand is rolling out in Georgia, Florida and California with retailers including BevMo, Gopuff and Total Wine. In Georgia, the company is working with Georgia Crown Distributing Co. and is also entering Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
Online, Roué is selling direct-to-consumer in 44 states via its website.
“Roué represents a commitment to quality and a contemporary approach to how wine and ready-to-drink beverages are perceived and enjoyed. Roué is for the dreamers, the disruptors, and the trailblazers who refuse to be defined by convention. We’re inviting consumers to ‘Make the Moment’ their own,” Ayotte said in the release.
Ayotte previously founded ready-to-drink cocktail company Ohza in 2019 and served as its CEO until 2024 when the canned mimosa brand was acquired by The FX Matt Brewery. That brand also had music industry connections, working with artist Joe Jonas, who became a co-owner of the company.
In an interview with Vibe, Ayotte said Future provided input into the unique design of the Roué bottle and brand imagery, which he suggested “kind of parallels Future, but multi-dimensional.”
Future has previously promoted alcohol brands, partnering last year with Grand Marnier for the liqueur’s “Remix Your Legacy, Make It Grand” marketing campaign.