Sting sorry for his grapes of wrath
Rock star Sting apologised yesterday after accusing an Italian nobleman of tricking him into buying a vineyard.
The singer and actress wife Trudie Styler bought Villa Il Palagio from the current Duke of San Clemente’s father in 1997 for a reported £3 million.
Since then, they have spent millions turning it into a leading destination, with guests hosted by the couple there including Sir Bob Geldof and Dustin Hoffman.
However, in an interview with an Italian newspaper’s magazine this month, Sting claimed the estate was run down when he bought it and that the elder duke had swapped a glass of local wine for something much better while negotiating its sale to him, in order to persuade him to also buy its vineyards. Sting told
Corriere della Sera: “The dukeaskedmeifiwould like to taste some wine from the estate.
“It was an excellent wine, so he convinced me to buy the vineyards as well. Then we realised that the duke had served us a Barolo and not a local wine.”
The interview prompted an angry response from the current duke, who demanded an apology.
It was reported yesterday that Sting, 69, real name Gordon Sumner, has issued a private apology and said in a signed letter to the duke: “The story as reported was disrespectful to the memory of your distinguished father and, for that, I offer my sincere and unequivocal apologies. Please rest assured that this will not happen again.”