There’s a good chance that you might recognize Natalie Oliveros, a.k.a. Savanna Samson, from her roles in such award-winning adult films as The Masseuse with Jenna Jameson, The New Devil in Miss Jones and Debbie Does Dallas… Again. (We’ll spare you the hyperlinks). But would you believe us if we said we knew her instead from her work with acclaimed winemaker Roberto Cipresso of Fattoria La Fiorita? Didn’t think so. Oliveros started working with Cipresso in 2006 and has since become a partner in the winery. The newest release, La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino 2006, will be released in early 2013. She talked to us about her transition from adult film to Italian wine.
Have you always been into wine?
When I was still in the adult industry, I thought making wine would be a way to carry on a legacy, something my family and I could be proud of. But it actually brought me back to my roots. When I was a little girl, I made wine in the basement with my dad. My sister and I would take turns churning grapes. We would get in trouble because neighborhood boys were sneaking in to drink the wine. So, I always had an affinity to it.
How did you decide to transition from porn to winemaking?
I haven’t made a movie since 2010. I’d been struggling for some time with, like, who am I these days? I’d been Savanna Samson for so long. I kept thinking that when I finally own my own vineyard, then Natalie can come forward. So, I feel like now I’ve found my place in this life. I was in Italy for the harvest last year and after all the workers left, I sat under an olive tree. I was just looking out at the landscape and smelling the freshly cut vines and had this sense of overwhelming gratitude. I thought, “This is where I belong.”
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