Several hundred thousand hectolitres of Vin de Pays d'Oc was fraudulently sold and exported to the US over the last four years, it has emerged.
According to reports, between 2005 and 2008, over 120,00hl (hectolitres) of falsely-labelled Pinot Noir was sold every year to the US via negociants and wine companies in the Aude region.
The fraud was spotted by the regional wine office, which works in conjunction with the local anti-fraud agency, when it became clear there was a discrepancy in the figures of Pinot Noir production and export.
The Aude is part of the wider Languedoc-Roussillon area, which produces only 50,000hl of Pinot Noir per year.
The public prosecutor's office would not comment on the details of the case.
Individual winemakers, cooperatives, the Ducasse negociant firm in Carcassone and the large Sieur d'Arques wine company are all under investigation.
According to southern French newspaper La Depeche, the fraudulent wine was sold by winemakers and cooperatives to the negociant which in turn sold the wine to Sieur d'Arques for export to the US. It is not clear at which stage the fraud occurred.
At the time of going to press, representatives from Ducasse and Sieur d'Arques were not available for comment.
Citing an informant, the newspaper said the profit margins for those concerned were 'huge'. Pinot Noir fetches double the standard price for red wine from the region.
Although there have been no formal charges, a trial is expected.
'The hearings are well advanced – they should have some legal outcome,' said public prosecutor Francois Battut.
Have your say... To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
I wonder how much low price US branded Pinot noir bottles have been sold without actually much Pinot noir in them, in US bargain brands, and the proliferation of low price negociant bottled brand names in US markets.
Donn Rutkoff
Hmm, so it took somebody four years to notice that more Pinot VDP was being exported than produced...
Richard M James, France
If the wine was sold in the US as Vin de Pays d'Oc, then it is a fraud. But if is was sold as pinot noir, then the US law applies, and I think 50% of pinot is enough, isn't it? Anyone has a clue?
Hervé Lalau, Belgium
This is unfortunate, especially in a down economy when people need confidence in what they're buying, and want to know they're getting what's on the label. But it looks like our French cousins are taking it seriously, and no one will die here, will they? Lessons learned all around, one hopes. Oh, well, back to Bordeaux for awhile!
David Gaier, Metuchen, NJ, USA
US law requires varietal labels to be at least 75% of the named variety. This could become a big problem for some very big companies.
Paul Ahvenainen
'If the wine was sold in the US as Vin de Pays d'Oc, then it is a fraud. But if is was sold as pinot noir, then the US law applies, and I think 50% of pinot is enough, isn't it? Anyone has a clue?'
French law states that it must be 100% Pinot noir (whether it's a VdP or an AC); US laws states a minimum of 75% Pinot noir. But I don't understand why this didn't arise earlier: the Languedoc has never had a rep for making passable Pinot.
Patrick W Fegan, Chicago, USA
In response to M. Lalau's interesting speculation on legality of a 50% Pinot noir blend, US law requires that wine labeled “Pinot Noir” must derive at least 75% of its volume from grapes of that variety. Moreover, an imported wine with a varietal label may be subject to a higher requirement, depending on the law of its home jurisdiction. Imported wine may not be released from customs custody “unless the invoice is accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by a duly authorized official of the appropriate foreign government, if the issuance of such certificates with respect to such wine has been authorized by the foreign government concerned, certifying as to the identity of the wine.”
R. Corbin Houchins, Seattle, WA, USA
The French government and the French wine business seemed to be very talented in shooting themselves in the foot. Another nail in the coffin for the French wine business.
Dominic Lombard
Hope this could be the time to have a closer look at the wine production/trade, worldwide, and explain what are all the bulk mooving out of France, used for. (France/Spain, France/Italy, France/NZ etc...) Sorry to take this bad opportunity, but does any one has figures about Pinot Grigio produced in Italy and pinot grigio sold into the UK?
Cédric Lejeune, France
What does it tell you about the customer? It appeared they didn't seem to notice that their Pinot Noir wasn't!
Bob Lindo
Just about an hour ago I bought a bottle of this exact wine from my neighborhood liquor store. I had never heard of it before but it was at the right price for my budget, around $10 and I tend to enjoy Pinot Noir more than any other kind of red so I thought it was worth the risk.
Carefully I let it breathe in a balloon glass and after smelling it and tasting it conscientiously, wrote down my thoughts in my tasting journal, which I have just begun to keep.
Now, I am no expert on wine but I do know what I like and I thought this wine to be quite a disappointment. It had a strong alcohol taste and something akin to the taste of yellow grapefruit. I couldn't quite put my finger on the exact taste so after letting it breathe a bit more I tasted it again and realized that it tasted like grape pits, bitter and somewhat starchy. I also noticed little teeny-tiny bubbles collecting at the bottom of my glass when I tipped it. I searched online to see what the experts said about it and found this article. I was surprised but am now curious as to whether or not this has something to do with the poor quality of the wine. Any Thoughts?
Adrienne J. Eggers
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what’s coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker.
I wonder how much low price US branded Pinot noir bottles have been sold without actually much Pinot noir in them, in US bargain brands, and the proliferation of low price negociant bottled brand names in US markets.
