Get Stung On Sting's Wine

03/12/09 5:31pm

Sting isn't just lounging around his Italian estate playing his lute with a tantric erection that lasts for hours.

The Police singer/bassist's 300-hectare property near Figline Valdarno, 30 kilometres south of Florence, is full of vineyards with grapes being made into wine that will arrive in stores in September.

The 57-year-old and his wife, Trudie Styler, bought the 16th century Tenuta Del Palagio estate — which includes a large villa with a swimming pool, woods with six small lakes, olive groves and an old barn that was converted into a recording studio — in the early '90s.

They purchased the surrounding vineyards and some adjoining land seven years ago and have already sold honey and olive oil from the property under the Il Palagio Sumner Family brand name. Ten per cent of profits are donated to environmental charities.

Sting (real name Gordon Sumner) is a big advocate of organic farming, he told an audience at the town theatre on Tuesday night, according to the Italian ANSA news service.

"I am a farmer who looks after the land to nourish it and not to plunder it," he said.

"I came here and I decided to stay and be a farmer, also because I wanted to nourish my family with genuine quality products in a healthy environment. Everyone knows about my environmental commitment, especially to the rain forests in South America.

"With this business in Tuscany, I am trying to help myself and those who are close to me to live better in a natural context."

Sting plans to produce 30,000 bottles of wine, the first batch of which is a 2007 vintage, annually. Most of it will apparently be sold in his British homeland, but he also plans to open a shop on the property in the next few months. His business employs 15 full-time workers and seasonal help.

If you want to enjoy some wine, relax, meditate and contort your body, the Sumners offer yoga retreats at the villa. More information is available on its website.