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Celebrities nowadays have to market themselves as much as possible. While a celebrity can easily be a successful musician or actor, sometimes that career in itself just isn’t enough, which is why so many Hollywood stars now have clothing lines, shoe lines, perfumes, and colognes. Some celebrities have taken their name marketing to a whole new level by owning a vineyard or winery to produce and sell their own wine brand. Here are 14 celebrities who own vineyards or wineries.
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Fergie
Black Eyed Peas lead singer and new mom Fergie owns a wine label called Ferguson Crest, which is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. The winery was founded in 2006 by Fergie, along with her father, and some of the wines created by the label have been recognized by the Wine Spectator top 100. Fergie’s line offers a variety of wines including Syrah, Cabernet, Viognier, and a wine entitled Fergalicious.
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Lil Jon
Lil Jon and wine definitely seem like an odd pairing, but somehow the wine business has worked out really well for him. Though one would think that Lil Jon drinks nothing but crunk juice, back in 2008 he created his own winery called Little Jonathan Winery. The winery is located in Laguna Hills, CA and there are a variety of wines available, including Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
Years ago, Brad and Angelina purchased the Chateau Miraval, a 1000-acre estate that came with a vineyard. And of course, what better way to use your own home than to make money with it? After buying the property, Brad and Angelina met up with the Perrin family and created a blush wine called Miraval. The wine is said to have a tart peach flavor that is a lot richer than normal rose. When the wine was first released online, it sold out in less than five hours.
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Keyshawn Johnson
Ex-NFL player Keyshawn Johnson started his wine label back in 2007 after collaborating with the Piercy family. The two acquired an 1865 Cunha Ranch, which consists of 3,600 acres and is located near Echo, Oregon. Keyshawn’s label was first created in XIX after an October harvesting of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. In 2012 his wine was considered a “wine of the gods” my Cuisine Noir magazine. Clearly he’s scored a touchdown with this one.
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Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson is another NFL player who has decided to give the wine industry a shot. Though he is not allowed to publicly endorse his brand due to NFL rules, Woodson owns TwentyFour Wine, which is harvested out of Napa, CA at TwentyFour vineyard. After partnering with Gustavo A. Gonzalez, Woodson became interested in wine making after a training camp session held in Napa Valley. Every $10 from the purchase of each of his bottles goes towards the CS Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voightlander Women’s Hospital.
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Dave Matthews
Singer Dave Matthews owns Blenheim Vineyards, located in Charlottesville, VA. The vineyard is made up of three small vineyards which grow seven different varieties of grapes. The vineyard has been around since 2000 and has been doing quite well, especially after being nominated as one of the six vineyards of Budget Travel Magazine’s Six Great Wine Regions. Matthews also co-owns Dreaming Tree wines, which is also run by Steve Reeder.
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Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John’s winery, Koala Blue Wines, is one of the oldest celebrity wineries to date. Olivia’s winery, which is located in Australia, has been around since 1983 and strives to capture the images and colors of Australia. The label offers several different wines, including Chardonnay, Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and many others, some of which have been aged since 2000.
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Madonna
Along with her father Silvio Ciccone, Madonna owns Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, which is located in Leelanau Penninsula, Michigan. The winery began in 1996 and consists of 14 acres planed in Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, and several other types of vines. Madonna’s vineyard and winery has won several awards including gold from Gold Lakes, silver from Affairs of the Vine Shoot-outs, and in 2013, two of the wines won silver and bronze at Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
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Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas isn’t only a great actor, he’s also found a niche in wine-making. His winery, Anta Banderas, is located in Ribera del Duero, Spain and began in 1999. The winery consists of more than 230 acres of land. Banderas’ wines are named quite simply, including a4, a10, a16, and aR 2007. In 2008, the winery won a gold and bronze medal for it’s exceptionally tasting wines.
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Arnold Palmer
After a collaboration with Luna Vineyards, Arnold Palmer, world-known golfer, decided that he didn’t just want to be known for a drink consisting of a mix of iced tea and lemonade. In 2003 he decided to create his own winery called Arnold Palmer Winery. His wine collection appeals to a variety of tastes and offers Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore opened Barrymore Wines, located in Italy, after collaborating with Wilson Daniels. Barrymore decided to do less acting and get more involved with wine after realizing that she loves wine and that making wine would be another job that she’d love doing. Her label has produced several award-winning bottles, notably Pinot Grigio, and Barrymore plans to add more bottles to her collection, including a Rose.
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Lorraine Bracco
Though she’s best known as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the hit show “The Sopranos,” Lorraine Bracco is also the owner of Bracco Winery, which produces wines that are available in the New York tri-state area. The company offers eight different varieties of wines including Primitivo to Pinot Grigio. After spending 10 years in France and growing up with an Italian-American family, Bracco’s roots in wine and wine-making are quite deep.
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Sting
Sting’s message in a bottle is clearly, wine. In 2011, he decided to branch out from more than just music and purchased Tenuta il Palagio, a vineyard in Tuscany Italy. All of Sting’s wines are named either after a song of his or a special memory in his life. One of his most famous wines, entitled Sister Moon, is a 40-30-30 blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
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Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan of the band Tool clearly has a softer side to him. Not only is he a comedian on the side, he also owns Merkin Vineyards as well as Caduceus Cellars. He also is a partial owner of Stronghold Vineyards, all of which are located in Arizona. Keenan comes from a long line of Northern Italian winemakers, so it is no surprise that he too has a passion.
