Mary J. Blige & Marco Fantinel: This year’s most important cooperation!
Mary J. Blige & Marco Fantinel: This year’s most important cooperation!
Grammy winning singer, actress and philanthropist, Mary J. Blige, has just launched her limited-edition wine, labeled «Sun Goddess», in partnership with the Italian winery Fentinel and its president Marco Fantinel, famous for his award-winning wines. The two «Sun Goddess» wines, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot Grigio Ramato bear the Mary J. Blige’s signature. While was released in the USA during the lock down, both became popular within a week, while the rose Pinot Grigio Ramato won an award in London within 15 days of its release. It is scheduled to hit the Greek market in November 2020.
Mary J. Blige recounts how the idea came up:
«I have always been particularly fond of white wines that demonstrate freshness, and purity. Pinot Grigio Ramato is undoubtedly among my favorite varieties. One day I asked a good friend of mine, Maxwell, which is the best Pinot Grigio in the world, and he answered immediately, “it’s the one produced in Friuli Venezia Giulia, in northeastern Italy”. He showed me pictures of the Fantinel winery, and I immediately fell in love with it. We decided to take a quick trip there and this is how everything started. I met Marco Fantinel, the owner of the one of the best wineries in the area. I was impressed by his simplicity and kindness while he welcomed us into his house, his winery. We’ve tasted amazing italian food, and we had a lot of wine tastings. It was such an amazing day. Unforgettable! On the second day of our journey, I asked Marco to show me arround the vineyards. I asked him about everything. We walked among the vines, and we had even more wine tastings with the Fantinel family. I immediately felt a strong bond with the place and its people, which is very important to me. There was such chemistry. It was an exciting experience, which inspired me to create my own line of wines, in partnership with Marco Fantinel. Thus, “Sun Goddess” was born».
The Fantinel Winery
The history of the Fantinel winery has a long tradition in Italian wine making, born by Mario Fantinel, the grandfather with a strong passion. A famous restaurateur and hotelier at Friuli Venezia Giulia in the northeast of Italy, he realized that his mission was to fill people with emotions through his special love of wine and that he ought to produce it himself. So, in 1969 he got his first vineyards in the area of Collio. His three sons, Luciano, Gianfranco and Loris, soon came into this exciting adventure. What used to be a small agricultural endeavour, has lately become an internationally aknowledged colossal company, producing wines of exquisite, award – winning quality, and the third generation is being represented today, by Marco Fantinel. The heart of the operation is located in Tauriano, part of the ancient village Spilimbergo, famous for its mosaics. A few miles away, within a stately winery, the Fantinel team manages over 300 hectares of vineyards.
How did the name “Sun Goddess” came about?
«This is a very personal thing for me», says Mary J. Blige. «The name Sun Goddess evokes powerful childhood memories that I carry with me. I’ve always loved the sun…perhaps a bit more than most people. My mother started calling me with that name. The name “Sun Goddess” immediately struck me as the perfect name as it connects my real life with the wine. Wine is culture. Wine is about getting together. It brings us closer. Wine is a way of life. Wine is a feeling. I want to give the world more feelings. Passion should never be lacking. Greece has a lot of passion, and I’m coming to your country next summer. I want to visit the picturesque islands, and of course, the Acropolis. Until then, we will soon all be doing live wine tasting with Fantinel».
