Former NBA star Yao Ming's investment empire

2 Yao Family Wines

Yao Ming Family Wines are on display during the barrel auction event of Auction Napa Valley at Rutherford Vineyard in St. Helena, California on May 31, 2013.[Photo/IC]

After establishing Yao Family Wines in 2011, the winery had bore fruit in the form of two Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons in the same year and quickly expanded into a successful business.

Yao Ming launched Yao Family Wines in 2009 in Napa Valley, California. He joined other Chinese people who in recent years had acquired vineyards in wine-producing regions of the United States and were producing wine for China and the US.

Yao also crowd-funded on Crowdfunder, with a $3 million goal. The funds will be used for a tasting room in Napa, a tasting salon in Shanghai, Ming's hometown, and marketing, according to the company's profile on Crowdfunder.

Yao Family Wines is not inexpensive. The prices of reds have ranged from about $238 a bottle for Yao Ming Napa Valley, to around $1,000 a bottle for its premium Yao Ming Family Reserve, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 4. A cheaper wine introduced in China in 2013 in response to the government's emphasis on frugality retailed in China for $85.