British rock star and winemaker Sting is speaking out for the first time about the dubious story that led him to buy the Tuscan winery Il Palagio in 1997. The Police frontman and his wife Trudie Styler bought the run-down 16th century Tuscan villa, 45 minutes south of Florence, from Duke Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati di San Clemente.
"We were negotiating the purchase. We liked the property a lot, even though it was a ruin. The duke asked me if I wanted to taste the estate's wine, and I said yes. It was an excellent wine and that convinced me to buy the vineyards as well. Only later did we find out that the Duke had served us a Barolo and not his own wine," Sting told the Italian press.
After coming to terms with being cheated and having to watch guests empty his wine into a flower bed, Sting decided he had to improve Il Palagio's reputation. Today, the couple produces about 150,000 bottles of wine a year, for which the renowned oenologist Riccardo Cotarella has been responsible since 2020.
(ru / Source: Decanter; Photo: Il Palagio)