Observer-Reporter forum

Brant

CARCASSONE, France (AFP) – French wine-makers and dealers were convicted Wednesday of selling millions of bottles of fake Pinot Noir to the US firm E&J Gallo in one of the biggest scams ever to rattle the world of wine.
A court handed out suspended jail terms and hefty fines to 12 people for selling 18 million bottles (135,334 hectolitres) of wine they said was Pinot Noir but which was in fact made from far cheaper grape varieties.
The convicted included executives from wine estates, cooperatives, a broker, wine merchant Ducasse and the conglomerate Sieur d'Arques.
"The scale of the fraud caused severe damage for the wines of the Languedoc for which the United States is an important outlet," the judge told a packed courtroom in Carcassonne in southwestern France.
He said that the accused made seven million euros in profits from the scam, with Ducasse raking in 3.7 million euros and Sieur d'Arques pulling in 1.3 million euros.
But the fines he imposed ranged from just 1,500 to 180,000 euros, while the suspended jail sentences went from one to six months.
The wine was sold in the United States under Gallo's popular "Red Bicyclette" Pinot Noir label, which in 2006 was marketed as having "aromas of dark fruit flavors" and whose palate was said to be like "black cherry and ripe plum."
It is not yet clear whether Gallo purchased the wine at a lower price than the market rate for Pinot Noir.
If so, they would have substantially increased their margins on a wine that sells for 11.99 dollars a bottle. Gallo was neither a defendant nor a plaintiff in the case in Carcassonne.
The giant wine firm has not yet said whether it plans to launch a lawsuit against the French producers in the wake of Wednesday's judgement.
Meanwhile, US authorities are investigating potential infractions.
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The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

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Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

This is why I drink beer. You can't slip that chit by me with a beer. With a wine...I could be drinking octopus piss for all I know...

...on a side note, maybe its time to move the beer thread to "Food." This board didn't exist when it was created, but it really belongs here.
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Brant · Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:29 pm Post subject:

That does make sense, but damned if I know how to move it. Wink

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The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

- Thomas Jefferson

amom · Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:49 pm Post subject:

Brant · Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:55 pm Post subject:

Good job, Amom. Glad somebody is computer savvy. Wink

And Cy, thanks for the info on the pm. I'll keep that in mind.
_________________

The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

- Thomas Jefferson

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

No prob,

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