US wine lovers will be delighted and appalled in equal measure by the release of a particularly voluptuous vintage early next year.
American porn actress Savanna Samson, star of a string of highly profitable films with titles like Poke Her and Last Girl Standing, launches Sogno Uno – or Dream One – in February.
The wine – which has been given 91 points by Robert Parker - will be available in restaurants across New York including Restaurant Daniel, considered by many to be the city's best restaurant and winner of myriad awards.
Sogno Uno is made in Italy under the guidance of up-and-coming winemaker Roberto Cipresso and is a blend of 70% Cesanese, 20% Sangiovese and 10% Montepulciano.
Samson, who lists ballet, wine and yellow Ferraris as her passions, tasted her way through 80 different Italian samples in a week, before proclaiming her preference for the Cesanese, a rare grape mainly found in the Lazio region.
Robert Parker met Samson at a pre-launch of her wine, and was 'impressed' with her 'good palate', she said. According to Parker, her outfit for the occasion was 'provocative', but he added, 'Trust me, I didn't add any points for Ms Samson's personal presentation.'
Samson is aiming the wine at the premium end of the market – only 400 cases of the 2004 vintage have been produced. 'It's not a wine for the masses,' she told decanter.com. It will retail at US$35-40 in Denmark, France, Belgium and Italy, and the US. It is not available in the UK, and will not be marketed through Samson's extensive porn channels.
The release of the wine - at New York's La Masseria restaurant - was initially due to coincide with the New Year but the launch has been put back due to problems with the label, which features an airbrushed picture of Samson posing in a see-through dress (similar to the image above).
The holdup is due to concern over whether or not she will be able to call the wine Vino de Tavola or simply Italian Red Wine as the grapes are sourced from different regions.
The actress, whose husband is a New York wine merchant, plans to make a white Sogno Due, or Dream Two, in the near future and is considering adding Champagne to the range.
For those unfamiliar with Samson's work, decanter.com can reveal she operates at the more polished – and highly lucrative – end of the triple-x market.
www.universityofsavanna.com (warning: this website contains adult content that some readers may find offensive).
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