Neymar Jr. launches Le Prince wine label in Brazil

Neymar Jr. has entered the wine business with the launch of Le Prince, a new label created by his family in partnership with the holding company Jlx, according to WineNews, which cited the Brazilian outlet Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios.

The project is aimed at bringing Brazilian consumers closer to wines from different countries and making wine part of everyday life, with bottles positioned across a wide price range. The launch adds another high-profile athlete to a growing list of soccer stars who have moved into wine, either as producers, investors or brand partners.

WineNews reported that Le Prince starts with a portfolio of seven labels selected by Dirceu Vianna Júnior, the Brazilian Master of Wine. The range includes wines from France, Spain and Chile, with prices starting at about €10 and rising to more than €8,000 for the top tier.

Among the entry lines is Le Prince Red, built around Chilean wines from Terraustral. Le Prince Black includes two Spanish wines: a Rioja red developed with Bodegas Faustino and an Albariño from Rías Baixas made by Paco & Lola. Le Prince Green includes a French red from Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône Valley and another Spanish wine produced with Abadia Retuerta. At the top of the range is Le Prince Blue, described as the most prestigious line, made in collaboration with a Bordeaux winery. Those bottles are numbered and tied to moments in Neymar’s career.

According to the report cited by WineNews, 300,000 bottles were sold in advance before the official launch. The business has set a first-year target of 4 million bottles and revenue of about €17 million.

The move comes as Brazil remains a relatively small wine-consuming market by international standards but one that producers continue to watch closely. WineNews said average wine consumption in Brazil is about 2.5 liters per person each year, far below neighboring Chile, where annual per capita consumption reaches 20 liters. That gap helps explain why brands see room for growth in Brazil, especially if they can attract younger or less experienced drinkers with recognizable names and broad pricing.

For the beverage industry, the launch matters because it shows how celebrity-backed wine projects are being used not only to sell premium bottles but also to widen access and build routine consumption in emerging markets. If Le Prince meets even part of its sales goal, it could reinforce Brazil’s importance for imported wine and encourage more partnerships between global drinks companies, wineries and sports figures.

Neymar’s arrival in wine also carries symbolic weight inside soccer. Lionel Messi launched his own wine line several years ago, and many other players have linked their names to wine ventures. Some have become producers directly, including Andrés Iniesta, David Silva, Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Barzagli, Dario Dainelli and Johan Micoud. Others have lent their image to branded projects, among them Ronaldinho, Wesley Sneijder, Iván Zamorano, Roberto Carlos, Marco Materazzi, John Terry, Eden Hazard and Júlio César.

The timing adds another layer of visibility for Neymar, who is still pursuing success on the field with Brazil while expanding his business interests beyond sports. With Le Prince, his family is betting that his global profile can help turn wine into a more familiar purchase for Brazilian consumers across several price points, from accessible bottles to collectible luxury releases.