Investing and reinventing oneself in the wine business is a trend that has taken off in recent years: former managers, movie stars, singers, musicians and athletes realize that, beyond deploying capital and profiting from this world, it is also possible to "elevate" oneself culturally or at least give oneself an intellectual air (sometimes fictitious!).
Yao Ming is a former NBA star, probably one of the most famous Chinese athletes in history, and leader of his country's national team.
Yao's story is nothing short of extraordinary! At 9 years old he was already 1.65 m tall and his parents, two former Chinese basketball players, were forced to buy him size 41 shoes!
Some legends claimed that Yao was actually the "product" of genetic experiments and arranged marriages aimed at creating the perfect Chinese athlete!
Yao would go on to achieve great things! Standing 2.29 m tall and weighing around 141 kg, he would become the center for the Houston Rockets, becoming the first Chinese player in the NBA.
He earned a call-up to the 2003 All-Star Game as a backup to Tim Duncan and came close to winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2004 he was China's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games, and in 2008 he declined the role at the Chinese edition in Beijing, arguing that there were more deserving Chinese athletes, but was chosen nonetheless.
A few seasons of solid, high-level play were followed by a string of injuries, and ultimately the decision to retire early due to physical ailments.
He has distinguished himself on multiple occasions in social causes, serving as a Chinese ambassador for the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program, which promotes basketball and raises funds for impoverished areas of the world, and as a spokesperson for an anti-AIDS campaign in China.
He has been the advertising face of companies such as Reebok, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Visa, Apple and Garmin.
Evidently all of this was not enough to "fill" Yao's life, and as soon as he retired he began studying economics and decided to pursue several entrepreneurial ventures, among them wine production.
The vineyards, owned by his family, are not located in China, however, but in the USA, specifically in Napa Valley in California, where the former athlete produces a Cabernet Sauvignon sold in oversized 1.5-liter bottles priced at around 450 euros each. The "firstborn" run of 12,000 units was sold at a charity auction.
A wine of excellence accessible to few, a "technical" choice by Yao who aims to capture a high-end niche of consumers through marketing.
Still convinced that good, expensive wine comes in small barrels?
What do you think?
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