BUYING BORDEAUX? CHECK IT TWICE

FRANCE HAS HAD its share of wine scandals in the last few years and now there’s a fresh one causing quite a sensation: counterfeit Bordeaux. Customs authorities in France have begun an investigation into the alleged sale of the fake Bordeaux – using false Pomerol, Margaux and Pauillac labels – to key distributors. The inquiry is believed to involve the alleged relabeling of 42O,OOO liters of bulk wine from the Languedoc region with 7O,OOO liters transformed into Pomerol; 6O,OOO into Margaux; 35,OOO into Pauillac and a further 1O,OOO into Saint-Julien wine, between 2O12 and 2O14. Authorities believe that an agent in Bordeaux laid a false trail for the wine, which is equivalent in volume to 56O,OOO standard bottles, using electronic documents that made it untraceable. The wine was reportedly sold to major global distributors for as much as 1O times the amount of the price of generic Languedoc wine.