At the turn of the last century (1900 give or take a few years), the great soprano Nellie Melba was dining at The Ritz in Paris. The great chef Escoffier asked Ms. Melba if he might name a dish after her. She readily agreed, and the famous "PEACH MELBA" was invented.
Flash forward a hundred or so years and the scene is the famous Harry's Bar in London.
I was having a late supper with the world famous soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. Sondra had just performed Cyrano at Covent Garden with Placido Domingo. Her performance evoked a 10-minute curtain call. What a night! I reminded Sondra of the night many years ago at the Ritz and asked her if I could name an Alvento wine after her. She excitedly agreed and the Alvento merlot became Sondra.
Today our Sondra corner in the sales room tells of Sondra's triumph at La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden and many other opera houses around the world. Sondra visits Alvento regularly and not only drinks Alvento wines exclusively (she pays full retail) but has passed some on to her many friends not because of the name on the label but because she loves the wine.
Today as well, Alvento's Sondra enjoys rave reviews in the United Kingdom and in Canada.
Sondra's engagements for the season include performances as Lina in Stiffelio at the Metropolitan Opera with Placido Domingo conducting, Elvira in Ernani at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Elisabetta in Don Carlo at the Paris Opera - where she had her earliest European success. Her debut solo CD, Verdi Arias, was recorded in Moscow with the Philharmonia of Russia and is to be released in April, 2010. Read more about Sondra here.
Alvento will soon be featuring Sondra's CD at the winery. Drop in soon to listen to an incredible voice while sipping a glass of Sondra.
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