Trudie Styler in the New York Times

April 26th, 2012

The New York Times features Trudie Styler in an article that gives light to her many passions and talents.  The article showcases that Trudie Styler is more than Mrs. Sting, aka Gordon Sumner.  Ms. Styler is a “jill-of-all-trades” and yet, it seems, too much is never enough.   “If I’m connected to an idea, it just doesn’t let me go,” she says, “All I have to do is catch up to the image in my head by doing the practical steps to get there.”  She makes movies, sells organic produce, hosts biennial benefits, charity balls, a health and fitness evangelist and she also makes wine on her estate, Il Palagio, in Tuscany.

Recently, as a Unicef ambassador, Ms. Styler helped transfer hundreds of Ecuadorean children from the slums in which they worked to new schools. This past year her Rainforest Foundation charity event, which she and Sting founded in the late 1980s, was sponsored by Revlon and took in $3 million for the rescue of the Amazonian jungle. Some journalists may routinely take aim at her high-consumption way of life but that won’t stop Trudie Styler. “It’s been well documented that we were a bit wild,” she acknowledges, “but now, at our age, we’re suddenly expected to be pillars of society, acting like the local vicar and his wife. That’s not going to happen. We’re not the Right Reverend Mr. and Mrs. Sting.”

For more about Trudie Styler click here and read the full article.

James Suckling Interviews Trudie Styler and Alan York

June 13th, 2011

Former Wine Spectator Italian critic James Suckling interviews Trudie Styler and her vineyard consultant, Alan York,  about biodynamics and tastes the newly released wines from Trudie and Sting’s biodynamic Tuscan estate, Il Palagio.

Click here to watch the video on Suckling’s Web site, jamessuckling.com (subscription required).

Wine Enthusiast Interviews Sting about New Wine Project

March 24th, 2011

The Wine Enthusiast just published an insightful Q&A with Sting about his new wine venture in Tuscany, Il Palagio.

In 1996 the rock musician purchased a 16th century estate south of Florence, where he farms biodynamic grapes, honey, olive oil, and vegetables. He just released two wines, Sister Moon (named for his hit single) and Casino delle Vie, now available in the U.S.

Here are a few snippets from the exchange:

“There’s an atmosphere about the house and although the farmland was a little bit degraded, we knew we had a lovely place. We thought ‘let’s see if we can turn this around, we wanted the wine to reflect the magic of the place, because you know, I make records here and it’s an inspiring place. The only missing piece of the jigsaw was wine.” – Sting

“I’ve made some really good records here. The wine and food are part of that. You can’t separate the ambiance of the place and the creativity.” – Sting

“I have a job in the winery, I go down and play to the wine. I practice down there. And you know, if I play it true, the wine is better.”

Click here to read the full article.

Sting’s Sister Moon is Finally Here!

March 23rd, 2011

The wait is over! The much anticipated Sister Moon is finally here.

Over ten years ago, in the Tuscan hills south of Florence, Sting and Trudie Styler began the restoration of a sixteenth-century villa and its gardens, olive groves and vineyards.  Careful nurturing of the vines over the last ten years, with the help of renowned biodynamic viticulturist Alan York, has yielded extraordinary grapes and the decision to release two wines, Sister Moon and Casino delle Vie.

Sting’s hit song Sister Moon reflects the age-old connections between earth, moon, nature and mankind, and gives its name to the estate’s top wine, a harmonious blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet and 25% Merlot.  The wine has beautiful aromatics, deep and intense fruit and spice, and a gorgeous, elegant structure.

“This is a polished and beautiful wine, delivering blueberry, light toasty oak and currant character that turns lightly smoky and spicy. Full and very silky, with a long, long finish.” 93 Wine Spectator

“Casino delle Vie,” a ninteenth-century farmhouse on the estate, gives its name to Sting’s second wine, which is made up of 100% sangiovese. In Italian, the wine’s name translates to “chaos of the streets,” and reminds us that when all is confusion and chaos, a glass of fine wine can sometimes set the world right again.

Here’s a closer look at Trudie Styler and Sting’s estate, Il Palagio, and the beautiful wines that it has produced. Cheers!