Who wouldn't want to own a winery? We sure would! With the wealth most celebrities have, it's no wonder a lot of them own their own wineries for personal and professional use. This trend is not a new one, though. Philosophers, playwrights, politicians, and other well-known people throughout ancient Greek and Roman times had owned their own wineries. Some reasons celebrities delve into the winery business include tax write-off benefits, their love of wine, the challenge of a new enterprise, or just because they can. Whatever their reasons, it's becoming more and more common lately. Celebrity wine sales have been up 19% in recent years, according to Nielsen research in 2007.
Here are some celebrities that own wineries:
• Mario Andretti - Andretti Winery in Napa Valley, California
• Dan Aykroyd - Dan Aykroyd Wines in Ontario, Canada
• Drew Barrymore - Carmel Road in Italy
• Jonathan Cain - delaCain Vineyards in Sonoma County, California
• Mike Ditka - Mike Ditka Wines in Mendocino County, California
• Guy Fieri - Hunt & Ryde Winery in Sonoma County, California
• Mick Fleetwood - Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar in Lake County, California
• Fergie - Ferguson Crest in Santa Ynez Valley, California
• Jeff Gordon - Jeff Gordon Wines in Napa Valley, California
• John Legend - Legend Vineyard Exclusive (LVE) in Napa Valley, California
• Kyle MacLachlan - Pursued by Bear Wine in Columbia Valley, Washington
• Madonna - Ciccone Vineyard and Winery in Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan
• Dan Marino - Vintage 13 Marino Estates in California
• Dave Matthews - Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Joe Montana - Montagia Wines in Napa Valley, California
• Sam Neill - Two Paddocks in Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand
• Olivia Newton-John - Koala Blue Wines in South Australia
• Arnold Palmer - Arnold Palmer Wines in California
• Nancy Pelosi - Zinfandel Lane Vineyard in St. Helena, California
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - Chateau Miraval in Provence, France
• Sting - Tenuta il Palagio in Tuscany, Italy
