Yao Ming
????When former NBA star Yao Ming came to the U.S., he knew nothing about wine. After nearly a decade in the states, all of that changed, says Kristen Horan, a spokeswoman for Ming's latest business venture, Yao Family Wines.
????Horan says Yao wants to educate the Chinese culture on quality California wines, she says. "He jokes they used to put ice cubes in the wine," she says.
????But Ming has stepped up his taste buds. The recently retired seven-foot basketball star's company released its 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in China at a hefty price of $289 a bottle, which includes importing and sales tax. The wine is expected to hit U.S. stores later next year for $170 a bottle.
