Feb 07: In India, the new wine laws are about to be enforced on April 1 to ensure that the basic standards are met but they may not be able to stop the current bad practices as one can see from the Italian example where many consider wine to be sacred and believe that what is stated on a label is what’s actually in the bottle but a string operation carried out last week across a dozen Italian wine regions have exposed a rather sour practice, according to a Report
At least 50 wine companies related to wine production, including vineyards and bottling companies are under investigation for making expensive wines with mediocre grapes. The suspected fraudulent wines are however, not dangerous for health. They are also not necessarily bad tasting but are overpriced compared to their worth.
These practices have nothing to do with the fraud cases that have engulfed the world of fine wine. Rudy Kurniawan of Indonesian origin was arrested in California in 2012 and is still in jail for counterfeiting wines worth over $550. Maureen Downey, an expert in counterfeit wine disclosed at a seminar at the MUST –Fermenting Ideas Conference in Cascais Portugal last year that fake collectible wines to the tune of 3 billion were floating around in the market.
The Italian wines have a very strict code of classification that includes the prestigious classification of DOCG, DOC and IGT which guarantee their authenticity and adherence to specific methods and practices. These special categories also provide assurance that the grapes come from certain specified regions. For instance an IGT Veneto must have at least 90% grapes from the same region but one could theoretically buy more of these grapes from a cheaper region and mix them with the grapes from Veneto, thus making higher profit.
Those classifications are badges of honour and are granted only after tedious inspections and compliance to regulations that can be costly to producers, justifying higher retail prices. A DOC wine getting the DOCG status will almost always command a better price-a reason why the producers and their associations are always lobbying to get their wines classified higher. A DOC wine may not be allowed to even apply for consideration of up-gradation to DOCG status for at least 5 years after it received the DOC status.
The companies under investigation include prestigious wines from Pordenone, Udine, Treviso, Venice, Padova, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Ravenna, Florence, Livorno, Naples and several cities in Puglia. The prosecution has not released a full list of brands involved yet , but is expected to do so in the near future as search warrants are served, more wineries are raided and further inspections are carried out.
Apparently, not only are the producers reported to be involved but the inspectors that doled out classifications for these imposter wines are also under investigation for complicity. This is akin to what might happen in an Indian scenario when the similar wine laws are enforced although we may not have appellation system to come into practice for at least the initial years. (Imagine wine produced in Karnataka using grapes from Maharashtra when the bottle says it is made in Nandi Hills, Hampi Hills or Krishna Valley!)
“The investigations are aimed at acquiring evidence related to fraudulent behaviour,” said the local prosecutor in Pordenone in northern Italy (Friuli-Venezia-Giulia), where the discoveries were first made. “The problem is with the production and placing huge quantities of wine on the market that, despite not constituting a danger to the health of the consumer, have been produced in direct violation of the rules of the specifications granted.”
This is not the first or the last time that such discoveries will be made. There was reportedly a big scandal. In 2008, a scandal of international proportion had erupted a decade ago that was embarrassing for the passionate Montalcino producers as the King of Tuscan Wines- Brunello di Montalcino was rejected by the US authorities for having a small mix of grapes not authorised to be blended with the Brunello grapes which are 100% by the DOCG Brunello di Montalcino appellation laws. A few of the producers declassified the wine to get out of the mess but many stuck to their guns. At the end it was resolved amicably but not without getting the political leadership involved and temporarily tarnishing the image of Brunello.
Whatever comes out of the investigations is yet to be seen but hopefully, this sort of ‘cheating’ would stop or at least slow down the process of defrauding the customers who have full faith in the laws being followed, even though knowing that those shenanigans would not be harmful to their health, and they only overpay for the quality.
Subhash Arora
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