MILAN (AP) 鈥� The heir of a late duke who sold Sting his Tuscan winery 25 years ago says the singer has hit a flat note with a lame apology for comments the family deems slanderous.
The juicy celebrity dispute has spilled onto the pages of Italian newspapers. Sting told the weekly magazine 鈥淪ette鈥� on Aug. 13 that he was persuaded into buying the Palagio winery near Florence in 1997 after tasting an 鈥渆xcellent鈥� glass of red wine offered by the owner, Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati di San Clemente. The singer, however, said it later turned out that the wine was a Barolo from Italy's Piedmont region, and not a local Tuscan Chianti at all.
The magazine labeled the move 鈥渁 hoax鈥� and claimed the singer 鈥渉ad been tricked鈥� into the purchase.
Sting, in the interview, said he only realized the truth about the wine鈥檚 origins after he had purchased the Palagio estate, including its vineyards, and he noticed guests pouring the Palagio red into the bushes rather than drinking it. He said he and his wife became determined to 鈥渁venge鈥� themselves by producing 鈥渁n excellent wine also from the Palagio vineyards."
The 45-year-old son of the duke, who died in 2012 at 86, wrote a long, stinging rebuke to Sting鈥檚 accusations, calling them 鈥渟lander, poisonous and completely false.鈥�
Simone Vincenzo Velluti Zati said it would have been completely out of character for his father to have passed off Barolo for Chianti, and said Sting鈥檚 use of the interview and the anecdote to promote a new organic pizzeria on the estate was 鈥渋n poor taste.鈥�
In his letter, Velluti Zati said Sting鈥檚 allegations 鈥渘ot only do not respond to the truth, they are highly damaging to the memory of my father and to my reputation.鈥�
Sting responded with a letter on Aug. 24, which was obtained by The Associated Press, offering his 鈥渟incere and unequivocal apologies,鈥� and acknowledging that the story 鈥渁s reported was disrespectful to the memory of your distinguished father.鈥�
Sting called the duke 鈥渁n honorable man, who never misled me,鈥� and said the anecdote was instead self-deprecating, highlighting the fact that 25 years ago he was unable 鈥渢o distinguish a Barolo from a bar of soap.鈥�
Velluti Zati told the AP on Tuesday that the apology was a 鈥渘ecessary act鈥� from the singer that was hardly convincing. He has not decided yet whether to take any further action.
Colleen Barry, The Associated Press
