Being associated with a special Mission Concert wine to celebrate his 2007 appearance left a sour taste with Eric Clapton.
The recovering alcoholic, who has funded special clinics to treat drug and alcohol addicts, was miffed when he arrived at the venue about 6.30pm and spotted the 2007 special edition bottle
of wine. The Mission Estate Winery has been bottling the special concert series, featuring the name or a picture of the featured artist on the label, since Kiri Te Kanawa first took the stage 15 years ago.
One insider working near the hospitality tent which was used to welcome Clapton and his entourage said he understood the British superstar may have been upset enough to say he did not feel like going on.
The flap immediately had concert organisers scrambling for a solution.
Mission chief executive Peter Holley confirmed there had been some "frustration" with regards to the 2007 Eric Clapton line.
"On legal advice we elected not to make the wine available for sale," Mr Holley said.
He added that it was fortunate that unlike previous years only a small quantity had been bottled.
"The matter has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction," he said.
One member of the security team reckoned the incident may have explained why the guitar supremo came across as a little cool and aloof.
The officer said that, and a scuffle in the VIP section right under his nose and which caused him to hesitate before starting another song, seemed to unsettle the star.
