34 Celebrities Who Have Bottled Their Passion as Vineyard Owners

Celebrities owning and investing in businesses is not a new trend. It’s a fairly common way for them to invest their money, along with traditional stock investing and buying real estate.

Wineries and vineyards are some of the most popular businesses that celebs like to get into.

It’s no surprise, either. Wine sales in the US have grown every year from 2000 to 2018, reaching a peak of over $68 billion in retail sales in the latest year of data!

Celebrities get involved in the wine business in a couple of different ways. The most common is for them to partner with a winery to create a new company, brand, or wine line. On paper, this is a mutually beneficial relationship, where the winery can benefit from the celebrity’s endorsement, and the celeb can benefit from the credibility and expertise of the winery.

So let’s get into it; below, you’ll find 34 of the biggest celebrities who own a winery, wine brand, or vineyard.

1- Dave Matthews

Winery/Vineyard: Blenheim Vineyards

Dave Matthews bought Blenheim Farm in 1999, a historically significant farm in Virginia. Seeing the old vineyard on the property, Matthews planted new grapevines the following year.

This 30 Acre vineyard was Matthews’s first foray into the wine business but not his last.

In 2011, Dave partnered with winemaker Sean McKenzie to create a new line of wines under the Dreaming Tree brand.

2- Madonna

Winery/Vineyard: Ciccone Vineyard and Winery

Ciccone Vineyard and Winery was started by Silvio “Tony” Ciccone, Madonna’s father, in 1995. While her father primarily owns and runs the businesses, the Madonna name has been featured on the wine.

3- Fergie (Stacy Ferguson)

Winery/Vineyard: Ferguson Crest

Located in Santa Ynez Valley, Ferguson Crest is a small 6-acre winery founded by Pat Ferguson and his daughter Fergie in 2006.

I’m assuming that the wine is… fergilicious.

4- Dan Aykroyd

Winery/Vineyard: Dan Aykroyd Wines

Dan Aykroyd partnered with the Toronto-based company Diamond Estates to create his wine label, Dan Akroyd Wines.

The wine is no joke. In 2015, Dan Aykroyd’s wine snagged a couple of awards at the 2015 All Canadian Wine Championships.

5- Mario Andretti

Winery/Vineyard: Andretti Winery

What started as a small winery in 1996, Andretti Winery grew fast. Not surprising to see from the former race car driver!

After partnering with the former CEO of Kmart, a previous sponsor of the racer, the business started to expand its operations.

6- Drew Barrymore

Winery/Vineyard: Carmel Road Winery

With the help of winemaker Kris Kato, Barrymore paired up with Carmel Road Winery in Monterey County, California, to create her own line of wine. It featured popular light wines like pinot grigio and rose.

7- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Winery/Vineyard: Château Miraval

Although Brad and Angelina have split, this château and vineyard in the south of France has lived on. They leased the land in 2008 and bought it three years later.

8- Antonio Banderas

Winery/Vineyard: Anta Banderas

Almost ten years ago, it was announced that Banderas had bought at least 50% of this Spanish winery. The Mask of Zorro star couldn’t resist slicing his way into the wine business.

9- George Lucas

Winery/Vineyard: Skywalker Vineyards

Would you expect any other name from George Lucas?

This famous vineyard was started over 20 years ago at Skywalker Ranch. The Star Wars creator teamed up with Winemaker Scott McLeod to bring his vision to life.

10- Bethenny Frankel

Winery/Vineyard: Skinnygirl

Bethenny Frankel is known for appearing in reality TV shows such as The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and The Real Housewives of New York City. Though most recently, she is known for creating her Skinnygirl brand in 2009, which includes wine, among other products.

11- John Legend

Winery/Vineyard: LVE Wines

John Legend, the legendary musician, created his own brand of wine in partnership with Raymond Vineyards. Created in Napa Valley, the “LVE” of the brand stands for Legend Vineyard Exclusive.

12- Emilio Estevez

Winery/Vineyard: Casa Dumetz

Famous actor Emilio Estevez entered the wine business when he started Casa Dumetz near his home in Malibu. Though it appears of 2016, he has sold said home and vineyard.

13- Sam Neill

Winery/Vineyard: Two Paddocks

Two Paddocks is a New Zealand Winery started in 1993 by Sam Neill. Sam Neill still plays an active role in the business today and protects New Zealand’s natural resources.

14- Lorraine Bracco

Winery/Vineyard: Bracco Winery

Lorraine Bracco is the owner of her line of wine, Bracco Wines. The wines were featured in the first season of Top Chef, and Bracco herself has appeared as a guest and judge on several food-related TV shows.

15- Train

Winery/Vineyard: Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co.

Yes, the band Train started a winery!

You can check out what they have to offer here.

16- Sting

Winery/Vineyard: Tenuta il Palagio

Another musician, another winery. This time, Sting and his wife Trudie Tyler created a winery outside their private home in the Tuscan countryside south of Florence.

17- Jeff Gordon

Winery/Vineyard: Jeff Gordon Wines

We’re entering the sports section of the list, and there is no shortage of athletes who have started wineries.

First up is Jeff Gordon, the creator of the aptly named Jeff Gordon Wines.

18- Mike Ditka

Winery/Vineyard: Mike Ditka Wines

From da head coach comes another perfectly named wine brand – Mike Ditka Wines. This one is in collaboration with Mendocino Wine Company.

19- Charles Woodson

Winery/Vineyard: Intercept Wines

Charles Woodson, a former NFL cornerback with 65 career interceptions, created Intercept wines a few years ago. Woodson says that his passion for wine developed when in training camp in Napa Valley when playing with the Oakland Raiders.

This passion eventually turned into him starting his own wine brand.

20- Yao Ming

Winery/Vineyard: Yao Family Wines

Yao Ming, a former NBA star, started his winery in Napa Valley in 2011.

Yao says his love of wine spurred from dinners with then-teammate Dikembe Mutombo in 2004. The Yao Family Wines website states, “Dikembe introduced Yao to the magic of a great steak and wine pairing, and Yao became an aspiring wine aficionado.”

21- Jim Nantz

Winery/Vineyard: The Calling

A famous sports commentator, Jim Nantz partnered with Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits to launch The Calling wines. Nantz met CEO Peter Deutsch by chance in 2009, and the partnership blossomed from there.

22- Drew Bledsoe

Winery/Vineyard: Doubleback Wine

Drew Bledsoe started Doubleback Wine near his hometown in Washington in the Walla Walla Valley. Bledsoe partnered with winemaker Josh McDaniels on this endeavor.

23- Wayne Gretzky

Winery/Vineyard: Wayne Gretzky Estates

Wayne Gretzky is famous for his legendary hockey skills, great quotes (“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”), and now wine. Wayne Gretzky Estates operates in Canada from a sizeable 23,000-square-foot facility.

24- Ernie Ells

Winery/Vineyard: Ernie Els Wine

South African golf legend Ernie Els started his own winery in 2005 in partnership with winemaker Louis Strydom. The winery is based out of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

25- Dan Marino

Winery/Vineyard: Passing Time

Dan Marino partnered with another former Dolphins Quarterback to launch Passing Time wines in 2012.

Regarding the name, Marino says, “There’s the subtle football reference. When it’s fourth down in the red zone, and you’re down by six with seconds left, it’s ‘Passing Time.’ And when you’re enjoying a bottle of great wine with good friends, it’s just Passing Time. We think it’s the perfect metaphor for the wine, and we can’t wait to share it with wine lovers who share our passion for great wine.”

26- Arnold Palmer

Winery/Vineyard: Arnold Palmer Wines

Although he might be most famous for his lemonade and iced tea combo, that also didn’t stop Arnold Palmer from venturing into the wine business!

27- Dwayne Wade

Winery/Vineyard: Wade Cellars

Dwayne Wade partnered with Jayson Pahlmeyer when starting Wade Cellars. Jayson had shown Wade what a harvest looked like in Napa Valley in 2014, and the former Miami Heat star was hooked, creating his own wine a few years later.

28- Guy Fieri

Winery/Vineyard: Hunt and Ryde Winery

Guy Fieri named his wine label after his two sons, Hunter and Ryder. No stranger to the food and beverage industry, Fieri has started a few different food brands after finding monster success on the Food Network.

29- Becca Kufrin

Winery/Vineyard: asdf

Becca Kufrin is potentially starting one of the most recent celeb wine labels. The Bachelorette star announced in October 2020 that her new wine label would be coming soon.

30- Kyle Maclachlan

Winery/Vineyard: Pursued by Bear

Kyle MacLachlan, an actor best known for his role in Twin Peaks, started Pursue by Bear in 2005. The winery is also based in the Walla Walla Valley in Washington.

31- John Lasseter

Winery/Vineyard: Lasseter Family Winery

John Lasseter, the famous American movie director behind films like Toy Story and Cars, is also in the wine business. He started Lasseter Family Winery with his wife in 1997.

32- Donald Trump and Eric Trump

Winery/Vineyard: Trump Winery

Real estate, casinos, politics, and now wine – the Trump empire has spread across many business sectors. Trump Winery is self-described as the largest winery on the east coast.

33- Francis Coppola

Winery/Vineyard: Rubicon Estate Winery

This winery and vineyard was originally established in 1879 but was purchased by Francis and Eleanor Coppola in 2011 and rebranded under the Inglenook name.

34- Cameron Diaz

Winery/Vineyard: Avaline

Last but not least, Cameron Diaz started Avaline Wine with Katherine Power. Their mission is to provide clean and organic wine under the Avaline brand, as they believe this will be the future of winemaking.