Did Sting get stung when he bought a vineyard?
Italian duke’s son denies chianti con
Sting has become embroiled in a bitter war of words with the family of an italian duke after claiming he was duped into buying a vineyard.
the former Police singer, 69, has been accused of ‘poisonous and completely false’ slander after alleging he was tricked into purchasing the tuscan property by Duke Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati di San Clemente, an italian aristocrat.
Earlier this month, Sting, real name gordon Sumner, recalled how a glass of what he thought was chianti, wine produced in tuscany, helped to confirm his decision to purchase the 865-acre il Palagio in 1999.
But the singer claimed he later found out he was served a barolo, from another region, which is considered one of the finest wines in italy.
‘He offered us a glass of red from a
‘Nothing could be more alien’
carafe during one of our early visits to il Palagio,’ Sting, who owns the estate with his film producer wife trudie Styler, 67, told Corriere della Sera, an italian daily newspaper.
‘We were negotiating the purchase... the duke asked me if i wanted to taste the wine produced by the estate and i said yes. it was an excellent wine and that convinced me to buy the vineyards as well.’
But the singer added: ‘it was only later that we found out that the duke had served us a barolo and not his own wine.’
Sting said he was determined to transform the vineyard and in 2016, one of his wines, a red named Sister Moon after one of his songs, was recognised as one of the 100 best wines in italy.
However, Simone San Clemente Jr has hit back at Sting’s com ments ,accusing the singer of ‘defaming’ his father, who died in 2012, and damaging the reputation of his family.
He took aim at the portrayal of his father as a ‘swindling host’ and
said he would not attempt a ‘tavern trick’. Speaking to italian daily newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, he said: ‘the slander: poisonous and completely false.’
Mr San Clemente Jr added: ‘nothing could be more alien to the character, habits, behaviour, in a word, from the spirit of my father, to behave like a swindling host.’
He said that Sting’s comments were ‘nothing more than a mar keting strategy, tacky’ and he called for an apology.
He added: ‘i wish for Sting that the karma so dear to him does not turn against him and i invite him to reflect on the truth of the facts in the course of his meditations.
‘in the meantime, i am waiting for Mr gordon Matthew thomas Sumner to apologise to me.’