Wednesday, January 12, 2005

MIGUEL ANGEL MORATINOS, Spain's Foreign Minister, is the "gaffe man":
Spanish wine producers are up in arms after the foreign minister said Bordeaux was his favourite wine. In an interview for Spanish broadsheet El Pais, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, a self-confessed Francophile with personal ties to Bordeaux, said his favourite tipple was red wine. 'I know the most about Bordeaux,' he added. The Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) responded angrily to the admission. In a press released issued on Monday, the Federation chided Moratinos for being unaware of his responsibilities.
Well, I don't endorse the view that everyone should buy according to his nationality, I believe in free trade. But one would expect a country's top diplomat to be a little, well, more diplomatic. But in the case of Mr Moratinos, that would be too much to ask.