Vintus

Wineanorak.com blogs about Sting’s biodynamic wines from his Tuscan estate. Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, purchased the estate in 1999 and began to replant  the vineyards with their “dream team”: biodynamic guru Alan York, Italian enologist Paolo Caciorgna, and wine consultant Pedro Parra. The blog has some great comments on Sting’s 2010 When We Dance, 2009 Casino delle Vie, and 2008 Sister Moon – see below!

Tenuta Il Palagio When We Dance 2010 Chianti, Italy
13% alcohol. 95% Sangiovese, the balance Canaiolo and Colorino, no oak. Fruity and berryish with cherry pie aromas and some spice. The palate is rounded, fresh and simple with a savoury twist to the sweet cherry and plum fruit. Supple, digestible and balanced. 87/100 (06/12)

Tenuta Il Palagio Casino delle Vie 2009 IGT Toscana, Italy
13.5% alcohol. Aged in used oak. Subtle and warmly spiced with mellow cherry, plum and blackberry fruit. Some grip here with a mineral, spicy dimension, showing strongly savoury characters. Dense but not heavy, hinting at elegance. The red cherry and plum fruit, together with a drying finish, makes it almost Nebbiolo like. 89/100 (06/12)

Tenute Il Palagio Sister Moon 2008 IGT Toscana, Italy
14% alcohol. Sangiovese 40%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%. Properly Tuscan, but elegant with it. Richly aromatic, showing blackberry and plum fruit nose with some subtle tar and gravel notes, as well as a slight balsamic character. The palate is ripe and fresh with some tarry, spicy structure as well as sweet black fruits. Savoury and spicy, but approachable. It’s a well structured wine that straddles traditional and modern approaches. 92/100 (06/12)

Click here to read the full piece.

This month’s FINE Magazine has an awesome story on Sting’s wine venture, Il Palagio. Not only are the Il Palagio wines prominently featured in the article, titled “An Englishman in Chianti,” but  Sting and Trudie are also photographed on the magazine’s cover!  The article recounts the story about how Sting and Trudie founded the Il Palagio estate and talks about their devotion to biodynamic viticulture. Click on the magazine cover image below to view the full PDF. Here’s a brief excerpt:

Sting feels that organic wine production is a good choice of direction, because Il Palagio is not able to compete with non-organically farmed products coming from the world’s biggest wine districts. Their production volumes and marketing machines are too large. “We decided to make a wine that is non-generic, and typical only of us. We wanted people to be able to enjoy characteristic Il Palagio wine. I don’t think our wines taste the same as other producers’ wines. We can only compete in the wine world by having products with their own fingerprint,” Sting explains. In Sting’s view, most non-organic wines are quite homogeneous, with very similar tastes and characters. He compares wines to music. “Anyone can compose a song. For a star to be born you need originality, for your song or performance to be instantly recognisable – your voice, your sound, your rendering should be completely unique. We want to create a star in the wine world which is not mass-produced but completely unique.”

Havest time is the pinnacle of the year at Il Palagio and a time when all their hard work pays off.  They always celebrate the season with tradition, Tuscan food and wine, using recipes handed down from generation to generation.  The winery has decided to share this celebration for the first time ever with a small group to learn how to cook some of their regional specialties in their very kitchen!  The classes will be held by the talented Alba di Papi, who has learned traditional dishes from her mother and grandmother.  Her beautiful personality and cooking style with help participants feel at home as they learn great techniques in simple, yet classic, dishes like Carbonara and Puttanesca.

Il Palagio is not only offering a beginners and advanced cooking class, but attendees will also get to explore the winery, help with the harvest and just enjoy the beautiful gardens. All the participants of the classes will stay in Il Palagio’s exquisite Villas that are fit for comfort with 5 star amenities. Check out some photos below.  For more information, inquire.

Alba and Carmela cooking

Beautiful Villas

Il Palagio Gardens