Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful Is A Wine Connoisseur and Investor — Should You Follow Suit?

Kevin O'Leary — aka Mr. Wonderful — is known for many things, including his time on the hit television show Shark Tank. If you've paid close attention to his investments over the years, you know that he has a deep-rooted interest in the wine market. 

While he invests across multiple industries, a quick look at his portfolio turns up many in the wine sector of the food and beverage sector. 

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Let's start with his biggest investment: O'Leary Fine Wines.

According to the O'Leary Fine Wines website, he has a massive vision for the company.

"I created O'Leary Fine Wines to help give Americans access to amazing wine at an amazing price. 97% of the wine sold in America is under $14.95 and yet almost all of it is not what I would drink. I don’t want to go blind when I drink wine; I want it to be a wonderful experience."

In a 2021 interview with Wine Spectator, O'Leary talked about how his love of wine has brought him to invest in the industry.

"We became an investor in over 3,000 acres of vineyards in Sonoma and Napa and Washington state. And I’m an investor now with Vintage Wine Estates. They make my wines [O’Leary Wines]. I’m in partnership with them on a direct-to-consumer business, and I’m really happy."

Through his time on Shark Tank, he's also invested in other wine businesses. 

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For example, Wine and Design was founded in 2010 with the goal of allowing customers to create memories and art, all while enjoying a glass of wine or two.

O'Leary jumped all over this company with a $350,000 line of credit at 12% interest and $150,000 for 10% equity.

There's more than one way to invest in wine. You could start a winery. You could collect vintage bottles of wine. You could partner with an existing brand to make your own wine. Or you could invest in an up-and-coming wine brand, such as Splash Wines.

Splash Wines is a leading direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce wine company with revenues of $29,579,543 in 2022 and 3x revenue growth in three years.

The online wine market is growing quickly, and Splash Wines is leading the way. You can invest online today. By doing so, you're taking a similar path as Kevin O'Leary — and that's not a bad thing. 

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