'Wine that sucks, not from Chile'

MANILA, Philippines - The wine served during the toast between President Aquino and Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet in Hanoi last Tuesday was not imported from Chile, but produced locally, Vietnamese diplomats said. 

The diplomats, who requested anonymity, said Vietnam is not a wine-producing country but as a matter of policy, they do not serve wine from established producers during special events. 

Vietnamese Ambassador to Manila Nguyen Vu Tu has dismissed the disparaging remark on the wine made by Assistant Secretary Mai Mislang through her Twitter account as a “minor” mistake and said it should not shadow the gains of Mr. Aquino’s state visit. 

Mislang, assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Office for Strategic Planning and Development, had tweeted that the wine served by the host “sucks.”

Secretary Ricky Carandang, who heads the office, tweeted back: The red or the white? To which Mislang replied: Red! The white’s fine.   

Tu said he was aware of the explanation given by Mislang that the Twitter post was not meant to cause offense. 

Triet invited Mr. Aquino for an official visit after their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last September. – With Delon Porcalla