Fantasia Barrino Sets Her Sights on Launching Her Own Wine Line After Sommelier Certification

In the near future, singer-actress Fantasia Barrino is set to introduce her new business venture, utilizing her sommelier certificate to launch her own line of wines for sale.

A sommelier certificate signifies expertise in deductive tasting, wine theory, and the technical and sales skills needed for table-side service.

Fantasia’s certification positions her as the next celebrity-backed connoisseur of wine and alcoholic drinks.

Drink Up

“I have a wine coming out. I went back to school, so I got my sommelier certificate because I didn’t want people to think that I was just a Black girl putting my name on a wine to try to make money,” Fantasia said in an Elle magazine interview published this week.

“I really love the process of it, and I also love to drink it because it’s good,” Fantasia extolled. “I love the process of wine. I fell in love with it when my husband took me to a winery and I felt like, this may sound crazy, but I kind of felt like my life was like what wine has to go through—the pressing. I wanted to know more about it. We’re coming out with a red wine; we’re coming out with a rosé.”

According to Step by Step, which cited a study from Washington State University, entering the wine business can demand an initial investment between $500,000 and $2 million, varying with size and production capacity. 

With a modest price of $15 per bottle, the total sale price of a case would be $180. To produce 20,000 cases yearly, a winery spends $115 per case, and up to $135 per case to make only 2,000 cases annually. 

These figures reveal a profit margin of 36 percent for larger-scale production of 20,000 cases and a robust 25 percent profit margin for smaller-scale output of 2,000 cases annually.

But like most celebrities, she might partner with an already established wine company. 

Movies and More

Fantasia, who has an estimated net worth of $5 million, is also readying for the premiere of her next film, the star-studded remake of the controversial “The Color Purple.” It will open Christmas Day.

As Finurah previously reported, Fantasia, the 2004 “American Idol” winner, is also studying business education at Central State University, an Ohio HBCU. Her journey from high school dropout to a Grammy Award winner inspires many. 

In November 2022, the R&B artist became an honorary Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. member at Central State.