Dozen French Vintners, Wine Traders and Cooperatives Convicted of Passing Off Faux Pinot to Unrefined Americans
As observed by Law.com, a French court has convicted a dozen French wine traders, vintners and wine cooperatives of passing off local wines as expensive Pinot Noir for importation to the United States. The leader of the scheme, M. Claude Courset of the Ducasse wine trading company received a suspended six month prison sentence and was fined 45,000 Euros, and Sieur d'Argues, the company which sold Ducasse wines to the U.S. was fined 180,000 Euros. The defendants were charged in a court in Carcassonne, in Southwest France, with "fraud in the quality and composition of the wine"--no doubt a crime the French take very seriously. The vintners and wine cooperatives were from the Aude and Herault, in the Languedoc-Rousillon. They passed Merlot and Syrah grapes off as Pinot Noir.
M. Courset was unrepentent, however, stating that his wines were irreproachable and stating that he had reserved the right to appeal. U.S. wine conglomerate E.&J. Gallo has issued a statement stating that it is no longer selling the wines. It is unclear how many U.S. consumers noticed a difference.
