Sting’s music left you in a euphoric mood, your mood uplifted after mouthing some well-written lyrics, but his wine has left a bitter taste, especially in some Italians’ mouths. Sting and wife Trudie Styler purchased an 865-acre estate and vineyard in Tuscany in 1997. After mulling over whether to make the purchase or not, the couple said all it took was a glass of wine offered by Duke Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati di San Clemente to say ‘we do.’ So delicious was this wine, the famous couple bought the place immediately. One wonders what the problem is, as this sounds like a beautiful story.
The problem cropped up (pun intended) when the couple claimed they later discovered the wine wasn’t a Chianti from the estate, called Il Palagio, but was instead from another region, a Barolo. What led them to believe otherwise? Sting said to Page Six, “When we served the wine from the estate to our guests, I saw that someone was emptying their glass into a flowerbed … It was then that we decided to avenge ourselves and to show that it was possible to produce excellent wine from the vineyards at Palagio. Our whole Tuscan adventure has really been a way of getting our own back.”
San Clemente Jr. said in an online statement, ‘Apart from the fact that an internationally experienced gentleman like Sting (he was 46 years old at the time) should not confuse Barolo with Chianti, Nebbiolo with Sangiovese, nothing could be more alien to my father’s character, habits, behavior, in a word, to his spirit, than to behave like a swindling innkeeper. Even a child can tell the difference between a Barolo and a Sangiovese. And, no Tuscan — Simone least of all — would dare attempt such a cheap and absurd trick.’ This statement has left San Clemente Jr. seeing a shade of red deeper than all merlots put together as Sting’s allegations have damaged his father’s memory, as well as the family’s reputation.
Sting and his wife are doing well after opening a wine bar and a pizza restaurant on the property, which produces around 150,000 bottles of wine a year. But even though they are thriving, these uncalled-for comments have left the Italian family of the late duke fuming, who are terming Sting’s claims of sour grapes and lies. He also blights Sting’s property renovation, which comprises a large pool, gym, and yoga studio.
He said, “Today, the comparison between the Palagio of the past and the one today re-fashioned by Sting today is deplorable. The Palagio is now a Palm Beach-style resort.” Clearly, San Clemente Jr. believes that Sting’s poor taste extends beyond wine, ‘It is evident that Sting is also completely unaware of the ‘true’ history’ of the Palagio. “Not only has he made the comical claim [of bringing] electricity to this unique Tuscan fattoria, but he also implies that he brought ‘civilization’ as well,” the duke’s son said. Whether Sting and his wife offered an apology is not known.
[Corierre – (In Italian)]
