List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

Cliff Richard promotes his wine in Denmark, 2015

New Zealand actor Sam Neill owns a winery in the Central Otago region of New Zealand

The trend of celebrities owning wineries and vineyards is not a recent phenomenon, though it has certainly garnered more attention in today's Information Age. In ancient Greek and Roman times, the leading philosophers, playwrights, politicians and generals of the day often owned a vineyard for personal use.^[1] There are many reasons why celebrities gravitate to the world of wine. Usually celebrities have a large amount of wealth accumulated which makes the significant investment of opening a winery or vineyard negligible.

Starting a winery or vineyard, as with nearly any business, could offer some tax benefits. Some celebrities, such as the Italian-American director Francis Ford Coppola, come from a family with a long history of winemaking. Some, such as the British singer Cliff Richard, have been lifelong wine enthusiasts and enter the wine industry in order to do something that they enjoy. Others like the challenge of a new enterprise and some celebrities enter the wine industry simply because they can.^[2]

While some celebrities, such as the American actors Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, British association football star David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham, own vineyards and wine estates solely for personal use, some celebrities are leveraging their name recognition as a selling tool in the wine industry. Today celebrity-owned wineries can be lucrative business endeavors. In 2007, Nielsen research of supermarket wine purchases showed that sales of celebrity wines were up 19% over previous years.^[3]

Types of celebrity involvement

American musician Dave Matthews owns a winery in Virginia

There are different degrees of involvement that celebrities will have in their winery and vineyard. Nearly all of them partner, in some form of collaboration, with a winery or winemaker who is already established in the industry. An example of this is retired American football player Joe Montana who partnered with longtime Beringer winemaker Ed Sbragia to make their joint venture wine Montagia. While Sbragia oversees most of the viticultural and winemaking task, Montana is involved in deciding on the overall "vision" of the wine and participates in tasting and blending trials.^[2]

To a similar extent, the celebrity may own their own "wine brand" which is produced with their collaborating winery instead of owning a physical winery or wine estate itself. An example of this is the brand Mike Ditka Wines owned by former American football coach Mike Ditka. The wine is produced in partnership at the physical winemaking facilities of the Mendocino Wine Company. While it could be described as a "winery", technically Mike Ditka Wines would be a "wine brand" that is owned by Ditka who participates in blending and tasting trails.^[4] Some, such as French actor Gérard Depardieu, will be very active in both the production and business dealings of the winery. Depardieu, who owns wineries in several countries across the globe, even has his passport listing his occupation as vigneron.^[2]

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi owns two vineyards that sell grapes to California producers.

A celebrity may only have "legacy" attachments to the wines that bear their name. One example is the Gallo wine brand MacMurray Ranch which uses some grapes that are grown on a California ranch that was once owned by the American actor Fred MacMurray. Under the actor's ownership, the ranch was dedicated mostly to raising horses.^[5] After MacMurray died, his family sold most of the land to the Gallo family and has little connection to the wine brand.^[3] Another "legacy" celebrity who was more intimately connected with the winery that now carries his name was the American actor Raymond Burr. Burr bought the ranch with his domestic partner and had planted grapevines for wine production before he died in 1993. His partner, Robert Benevides, renamed the estate after Burr and continued making wines featuring his name.^[6]

Some celebrities will lend their names to a winery for a special "one time" wine production. An example of this would be Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana, who partnered with the Champagne house G.H. Mumm to create a sparkling wine in 2005 titled Santana DVX.^[7] While Santana helped select the final blend and received royalties for the use of his name and image, he doesn't particularly "own" the brand nor does he continue to be involved in the wine industry.

American musician Bob Dylan participated in a similar arrangement with the Italian winery Fattoria Le Terrazze. Dylan gave permission for the winery to use his name, likeness and album art to create a wine that pays tribute to his 1974 album Planet Waves.^[8] In 2007, American entrepreneur Martha Stewart announced a collaboration with the American winery Gallo to produce value marketed wines to be sold at K-mart, which also features her Martha Stewart Living line of housewares.^[9] In 2009, British chef Gordon Ramsay allowed a Bordeaux winery to use his name, without royalties, to celebrate the release of their 10th vintage.^[10]

List of celebrities

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Below is a partial listing of celebrities who own commercial wineries, wine brands or vineyards. This is not a listing of a celebrities who only own vineyards for private use.

Celebrity	Winery/Vineyard	Location	Notes	Reference
Stephen Amell	Nocking Point Wines	Walla Walla, Washington	Columbia Valley wines; Co-Owned with Walla Walla native Andrew Harding	[11]
Mario Andretti	Andretti Winery	Napa Valley, California	Founded winery with Joe Antonini, CEO of sponsor Kmart during final eight years of CART career (1987–94)	[3]
Frank Arciero	Arciero Family Vineyards	Paso Robles, California	Also owns EOS Estate Winery in Paso Robles. Owned racing teams that featured Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney and Michael Andretti	[12]
Dan Aykroyd	Dan Aykroyd Wines	Ontario, Canada	Also produces a Sonoma County, California, series of wines	[7]
Francisco J. Ayala				[13]
Antonio Banderas	Anta Banderas	Ribera del Duero, Spain		[14]
Drew Barrymore	Carmel Road	Italy	In partnership with Carmel Road Winery	[15]
Lidia Bastianich	Bastianich Winery	Friuli, Italy	Collaboration with son and Italian restaurateur and author Joe Bastianich	[16]
Mario Batali	La Mozza	Tuscany, Italy	Collaboration with Italian winemaker and author Joe Bastianich	[7]
Drew Bledsoe	Doubleback Wine	Walla Walla Valley, Washington	Collaboration with Washington winemaker Chris Figgins of Leonetti Cellars	[17]
Carole Bouquet	Sangue d'oro	Sicily, Italy		[18]
Lorraine Bracco	Bracco Wines	Tuscany, Italy	Produces wines from several Italian wine regions	[7]
Kevin Buckler	Adobe Road Wines	Sonoma County, California		[12]
Valeri Bure	Chateau Boswell Winery	Napa Valley, California	In partnership with his wife - actress Candace Cameron.	[19]
Raymond Burr	Raymond Burr Vineyards	Dry Creek Valley, California	Established by the late actor in 1986. Currently run by his partner.	[7]
Jonathan Cain	delaCain Vineyards	Sonoma County, California	Collaboration with California winemaker Dennis De La Montanya	[20]
Al Bano Carrisi	Al Bano Carrisi Winery	Cellino San Marco, Apulia, Italy
Gerald Casale	The 50 by 50	Napa Valley, California		[21]
Richard Childress	Childress Vineyards	North Carolina		[22]
Les Claypool	Claypool Cellars	Russian River Valley, California		[23]
Bruce Cohn	B.R. Cohn Winery	Sonoma County, California	Cohn was manager of The Doobie Brothers	[7]
Francis Ford Coppola	Rubicon Estate Winery	Napa Valley, California	Renamed Inglenook in 2011	[3]
Gérard Depardieu	Chateau de Tigne	Anjou, Loire Valley, France	Also owns vineyards in Bordeaux, Languedoc, Algeria, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, Sicily and United States	[3]
Ron W. and Diane Miller	Silverado Vineyards Winery	Napa Valley, California	Owned by Ron Miller, who was married to Walt Disney's daughter until her death in 2013, and their children.	[7]
Mike Ditka	Mike Ditka Wines	Mendocino County, California	Collaboration with the Mendocino Wine Company	[24]
Dave Del Dotto	Del Dotto Vineyards	Napa Valley, California	In 2007, experimented with fermenting wine in amphorae	[25]
E-40	Earl Stevens Selections	California		[26]
Ernie Els	Ernie Els Wines	Stellenbosch, South Africa	Collaboration with Ernie Els Vineyards	[3]
Emilio Estevez	Casa Dumetz	Malibu, California		[27]
Nick Faldo	Nick Faldo Wines	Coonawarra, Australia	Collaboration with Katnook Estate	[28]
Mick Fleetwood	Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar	Lake County, California	Collaboration with Langtry Estate and Vineyards	[20]
Peggy Fleming	Fleming Jenkins Vineyards and Winery	Santa Cruz Mountains, California	Founded with her husband, Greg Jenkins	[3]
Fergie	Ferguson Crest	Santa Ynez Valley, California		[29]
David Ginola	Coste Brulade	Côtes de Provence, France	In partnership with the Coste Brulade co-op at Puget-Ville	[30]
Jeff Gordon	Jeff Gordon Wines	Napa Valley, California	Collaboration with August Briggs Wines	[7]
Wayne Gretzky	No. 99 Estates Winery	Niagara Peninsula, Canada	Collaboration with Peller Estates	[31]
Terry Hoage	Terry Hoage Vineyards	Paso Robles, California	University of Georgia American Football player, Owner, Winemaker, Viticulturist	[32]
Mick Hucknall	Il Cantante	Sicily, Italy	Collaboration with Italian winemaker Salvo Foti	[7]
Andrés Iniesta	Bodega Iniesta	Fuentealbilla, Spain		[33]
Günther Jauch	Weingut von Othegraven	Mosel (wine region), Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany	Vineyard a listed cultural heritage site.	[34]
Maynard James Keenan	Caduceus Cellars	Verde Valley, Arizona	Also owns Merkin Vineyards in Arizona	[35]
John Lasseter	Lasseter Family Winery	Sonoma County, California		[7]
Randy Lewis	Lewis Cellars	Napa Valley, California		[12]
Lil Jon	Little Jonathan Winery	Central Coast, California	Collaboration with California winemaker Alison Crowe	[36]
Jack London, Estate of	Jack London Winery	Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California	operated by the Shepards, descendants of London's sister Eliza Shepard	[37]
Nigel Lythgoe	Villa San-Juliette	Paso Robles, California	Co-owner with Ken Warwick	[38]
Luis Miguel	Viña Ventisquero - Unico	Maipo Valley, Chile	Collaboration with Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes Del Campo	[39]
Kyle MacLachlan	Pursued by Bear Wine	Columbia Valley, Washington	Collaboration with Washington winemaker Eric Dunham	[40]
Madonna	Ciccone Vineyard and Winery	Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan	Collaboration with her father Silvio "Tony" Ciccone	[41]
Dan Marino	Vintage 13 Marino Estates	California		[32]
Dave Matthews	Blenheim Vineyards	Charlottesville, Virginia		[42]
Joe Montana	Montagia Wines	Napa Valley, California	Collaboration with Ed Sbragia, former winemaker of Beringer Wines	[7]
Mickey Morandini	Second Base Wines	Cooperstown, New York	Collaboratrion with Pat Burrell	[3]
Dave Mustaine	Mustaine Vineyards	Fallbrook, California		[43]
Jim Nantz	The Calling	California	Collaboration with winemaker Peter Deutsch	[44]
Vince Neil	Vince Neil Vineyards	Sonoma County, California		[3]
Sam Neill	Two Paddocks	Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand		[45]
Olivia Newton-John	Koala Blue Wines	South Australia	Founded in 1983 with business partner Pat Farrar	[7]
Greg Norman	Greg Norman Estates	South Australia and California	Collaboration with Beringer Blass	[3]
Graham Norton	Invivo Wines	Marlborough, New Zealand	Graham Norton's Own Sauvignon Blanc, collaboration with Invivo Wines in 2014 and 2015	[46]
Arnold Palmer	Arnold Palmer Wines	California	Collaboration with Luna Vineyards	[20]
Jacques Parizeau	Coteau de l'Élisette	Languedoc, France		[47]
Fess Parker	Fess Parker Winery	Santa Ynez Valley, California	Was featured in the movie Sideways	[3]
Robert M. Parker, Jr.	Beaux Freres Vineyards & Winery	Willamette Valley, Oregon	Co-owns winery with brother in law. To avoid a conflict of interest with his wine rating publication The Wine Advocate, Parker delegates the task of rating Oregon wines to another associate.	[48]
Nancy Pelosi	Zinfandel Lane Vineyard	St. Helena, California	Also owns Skellenger Lane Vineyard in Napa Valley. Pelosi sells her grapes to other California winemakers instead of producing her own wine.	[7]
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie	Chateau Miravel	Provence, France	Bought winemaking estate in 2012. Consult with Marc Perrin.	[49]
Carmen Policy	Casa Piena	Yountville, California		[7]
Jason Priestley	Black Hills Estate Winery	Okanagan, British Columbia	The British Columbia born actor is a co-owner in the estate	[50]
Cliff Richard	Adega do Cantor	Algarve, Portugal	Collaboration with Quinta do Miradouro	[7]
Savanna Samson	Savanna Samson Wines	Tuscany and Lazio, Italy	Her first wine Sogno Uno is a red blend consisting mainly of the obscure Italian grape variety Cesanese	[51]
Boz Scaggs	Scaggs Vineyard	California		[52]
Cathy Schembechler	Bo Schembechler Wines	California	Named after her late husband, former University of Michigan American football coach Bo Schembechler	[32]
Tom Seaver	Seaver Vineyards	Napa Valley, California		[7][53]
Michael Seresin	Seresin Estate	Marlborough New Zealand		[54]
Ramona Singer	Ramona Singer	Veneto, Italy	Pinot Grigio	[55]
Tommy Smothers	Remick Ridge Vineyards	Sonoma County, California		[3]
Alex Spanos	SpanosBerberian Winery	Napa Valley, California	Also owns Bell Wine Cellars in Yountville	[12]
Sting	Tenuta il Palagio	Tuscany, Italy		[56][57]
Train	Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co.	Livermore Valley, California	Collaboration with Concannon Vineyard. Named after the band's fifth album.	[58]
Jarno Trulli	Podere Castorani	Abruzzo, Italy		[59]
Dick Vermeil	Vermeil Wines	Napa Valley, California	Collaboration with OnThEdge Winery	[12]
Mark Warner	Ingleside Vineyards	Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA, Virginia	Grows grapes and makes privates label with Ingleside's owners and winemaker	[60]
Mike Weir	Mike Weir Wine	Niagara Peninsula, Canada		[7]
Sigurd Wongraven	Luca Roagna	Piemonte, Italy	The front figure of black-metal band Satyricon has also launched other brands including an organic Champagne cuvée produced by Baron-Fuenté.	[61]
Charles Woodson	Charles Woodson Wines	Napa Valley, California	Under NFL regulations, Woodson is currently prohibited from endorsing his own wines publicly until he formally retires at the end of League Year 2015 (March 5, 2016). (Woodson announced his retirement at the end of the 2015-16 season, but he played his testimonal match at the 2016 Pro Bowl; per NFL rule, he is still under NFL contract until the end of the League Year.)	[32]

See also

• List of wine personalities

References

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4. Arnold, Eric, Wine Spectator (January 30, 2007). Wine Talk: Mike Ditka
5. University of California Press MacMurray Ranch pg 1, Accessed: December 14th, 2009
6. Mersmann, Andrew, Passport Magazine Robert Benevides, Raymond Burr Vineyards Sonoma County, California. Accessed: December 14th, 2009
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11. http://nockingpointwines.com/
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