That Yao Ming has not flamed out post-retirement like so many other professional sports players (hi, Lenny Dykstra) is commendable. That he is proving to be quite the savvy businessman even more so.

Even as he completes his college degree in economics (Yao promised his parents he would finish his education once his basketball career ended), the former Houston Rocket all-star took on several endeavors, not least of which is his ownership of the Shanghai Sharks, the team where he first got his taste of the court at age 13. But his establishment of the Yao Family Vineyards in California's famed Napa Valley may be the most ambitious project yet.

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With wine unknown in China growing up, Yao got his first exposure while on tour with the NBA, and learned more about its production and culture from fellow teammate Dikembe Mutombo. He was quickly seduced, and under the guidance of winemaker Tom Hinde, the 7'6'' kid from Shanghai announced the establishment of Yao Family Wines in November of 2011.

"This is a lifestyle," he told GMA News Online last November. "It's about friends chatting with each other, shared experiences and you need a [medium] to put everybody together."

Many are already together; Yao is just one of many who have lent their names to a spirit or bought a winery wholesale. Actors Drew Barrymore and Antonio Banderas, NASCAR phenom Jeff Gordon, Hollywood Golden Age sex kitten Mamie Van Doren, and even Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, have all entered the wine game. 

But if Yao wanted to be a part of a celebrity trend, he is just as interested in bucking it. It would be easy to write off his wines as another celebrity tangent, but when Yao began to collect accolades for his efforts, naysayers quickly changed their tune.

Taking the silver in the 2012 Decanter Awards and scoring 90+ from world-recognized wine critic Robert Parker, Yao Family Wines attracted the luminaries of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, whose review of the 2010 Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon reads, "...what's undeniable, by any modern standard, is the wine's excellence."

It goes without saying Yao heavily markets his lines in his native China. But aside from the local-boy-done-good appeal, Yao is well aware of the sky rocketing demand in China for wine, red wine in particular. Indeed, red is the only kind his winery produces, and for a good reason: With 1.86 billion bottles sold in 2013, the Middle Kingdom is the largest market for red wine in the world. That staggering amount is due to two factors; the prestige of red wine and the fact the color red is considered prosperous in the Chinese psyche. 

With the Reserve Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon selling for $625, it is also clear Yao is jockeying to create a well-respected, high-end brand. It is a steal compared to the legendary Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Roman-Conte Grand Cru (average price: $13,882 a bottle), but in case one has not noticed, Yao Ming has plenty of space up his sleeves.

TagsYao Ming, wine, Yao Family Wines