Tenuta Il Palagio | Sting

Tenuta Il Palagio is located in the hills south of Florence, where Sting and Trudie Styler have been cultivating a 350-hectare estate dating back to the 16th century biodynamically since 1997. The Vermentino comes from eleven hectares of vineyards on the calcareous soils of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini – vinified under the aegis of Riccardo Cotarella. The grapes are harvested by hand at the end of September and fermented in stainless steel at low temperatures to preserve freshness and primary fruit.

"When We Dance" – sting's 1994 ballad is about a love that makes angels hide their wings. The eponymous Chianti is more down-to-earth, but no less seductive: a classic triad of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino, as Tuscany has known it for centuries. The biodynamically farmed grapes are harvested by hand and matured in stainless steel for six months – no wood, no distractions, just pure varietal expression.

Wife of Alexander the Great, unrequited love of Cyrano de Bergerac – and, in 1978, the red lantern in Paris' red light district that inspired Sting to write one of the most iconic songs in rock history - that's Roxanne. The Bianco of the same name has a softer glow, but is no less seductive. 85% Vermentino forms the aromatic backbone, complemented by Chardonnay from the Maremma. Hand-picked between mid-August and early September, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, five months maturation on the fine lees.

In 1979, Sting sent a desperate message to the world with The Police – and landed a global hit. The red message in a bottle from Tuscany conveys a different message: that modern Tuscan red wine can combine tradition and cosmopolitanism. 70% Sangiovese forms the basis, supplemented by 15% each of Syrah and Merlot – a cuvée in the spirit of the Super Tuscans, but without their price ambitions. The grapes are harvested by hand, fermented for seven to eight days at a controlled temperature and matured for twelve months in French barriques.

The same muse, a different dress. While the white Roxanne seduces with Vermentino, its red brother relies on Tuscan tradition: 90% Sangiovese, supplemented by 10% Ciliegiolo – the indigenous grape variety whose name means "little cherry" and whose character perfectly describes it. Hand-picked at the end of September, fermentation in stainless steel at a controlled temperature, ten days on the skins. Ageing takes place mainly in steel, with only a small proportion maturing in wood – enough to provide structure without overpowering the fruit.

A new day, a new vintage – and the first wine of the year to leave the winery each year. While the red wines are still slumbering in their barrels, "New Day" already brings the message of the new 2025 vintage: freshness, joie de vivre and anticipation of what is to come. 100% Sangiovese, harvested by hand and gently pressed. Fermentation takes place at a low temperature in stainless steel, followed by a few months of ageing on the fine lees.

A photo from 1955 adorns the bottle: Elliott Erwitt's "California Kiss", two lovers in the mirror of a car. When Trudie Styler tasted the first sip of this Vermentino, she spontaneously found the name – "like a kiss on the lips". The fact that the wine was released in March 2021, when the world was hungry for closeness, lends it additional poetry. Incidentally, it is the first white wine that Riccardo Cotarella vinified for Il Palagio – a tribute to Trudie's love of elegant Bianchi. The hand-picked Vermentino grapes ferment at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, and a short maturation period preserves the vibrant freshness.

Whilst most labels feature Sting's songs, this Chianti Riserva bears the name of another artist: Trudie Styler, producer of cult films such as *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels* and the Oscar-winning *Still Alice*, and founder of Maven Pictures, which promotes female directing talent. "La Regista" – the female director – is her wine-loving signature, and just like in a great film, every detail here is spot on. Pure Sangiovese from the biodynamically farmed slopes around Figline Valdarno, twelve days on the skins, fourteen months' ageing in large wooden barrels.

The story begins with a drunkard and Shakespeare. When a staggering night owl once accosted Sting – "How beautiful is the moon?" – the musician replied with a line from Sonnet 130: "My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun." The man was satisfied and disappeared into the darkness. From this nocturnal encounter, a song emerged in 1987 dedicated to all moon-lovers – "for the lunatics everywhere, for all those whose sanity is dependent on the phases of the moon." That this particular wine should become Il Palagio's flagship seems only logical: the estate's first great Super Tuscan, too, unfurls its magic in the twilight between day and night. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend in equal parts – Tuscan tradition meets international elegance, without either side dominating. The biodynamically cultivated vines on the hills of Figline Valdarno provide the foundation; fifteen to eighteen months in new French barriques lend depth and refinement.

On 11 September 2001, a concert was to take place in the hills of Figline Valdarno. Sting was standing on the stage of his Tuscan villa when the news arrived from New York. He played anyway – not as entertainment, but as therapy. That evening, the feeling of emptiness and the search for meaning gave rise to an album two years later: "Sacred Love", a meditation on love as the only answer to a world in chaos. "We have to go back to that basic thing," said Sting at the time, "mother love, father love, husband love, wife love, child love – because when you don't have that, all hell breaks loose."

1976: A young man called Gordon Sumner sits in a small flat in Newcastle, with no money, no prospects, nothing but an acoustic guitar and a dream. He writes a song about the magic that emanates from a woman – about those small gestures that enchant the everyday. When he later plays the song to his future bandmates, they wave it off: too soft, too gentle for the rough punk sound that London is currently celebrating. The song goes into the drawer. Five years later, when The Police had long since become global stars, they brought it out again. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" becomes a number one hit in four countries and wins the Ivor Novello Award.