Hi wine friends, and Happy Wine Wednesday!  Today, I’m sharing the 2016 Il Palagio Roxanne Red Blend by Sting, which is a red wine blend from Italy. I don’t know if you knew that the singer, Sting, and his wife, Trudy, have a winery in Italy, but they do.

When Sting talks about wine, he describes wine as being like a song because each wine has its own story.  He says this is why he named each of his wines after his most famous songs.  And, as someone who grew up loving both The Police and Sting as a solo artist, once I discovered the winery, I couldn’t resist giving the wines a try.   You can watch my YouTube video to get all my thoughts, as well as background on the wine, or you can keep reading!

The back of the 2016 Roxanne Red Blend explains that Roxanne was the wife of Alexander the Great, was Cyrano de Bergerac’s unrequited love, and was the eponymous subject of one of Sting’s earliest and most famous songs.  With an description like that, it’s probably not surprising that I thought the Roxanne Red would be the perfect choice for trying Sting’s wine for the first time.

Sting and Trudy started doing renovations on Il Palagio, which is their winery in Tuscany, in 1999.  On the property, there is a private residence, 65 acres of vineyards, over 8,000 olive trees, and 80 bee colonies.  Their wines are all certified both organic and biodynamic.

The 2016 Il Palagio Roxanne Red by Sting is a between $18-$20 online and is blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 10% Syrah.  The wine had a lovely deep purple color.  On the nose, there were a lot of blackberries and black cherries, with a hint of blueberries, sweet baking spices (mostly cinnamon and nutmeg), and violets.  In the mouth, there were blackberries and black cherries mixed with the sweet baking spices to create flavors that reminded me of a dark berry pie.  The wine had medium-to-medium high tannins, medium-to-high acidity, and a medium body.

Overall, this was a lovely wine.  It would pair well with red pasta dishes, as well as make a nice addition to a Thanksgiving dinner.  Maybe it’s because my mind is embracing the fall weather, but this wine just screams fall wine and food to me. It’s a wine that I think is worth looking for, particularly if you’re a fan of Sting.

Questions of the Day:

1. Are you a fan of Sting or of the Police?
2. Have you had any of Sting’s wines? If so, which ones, and what did you think?