It’s a vintage year for plonk being peddled as premier cru wine.
So trading standards officers are urging wine-lovers in Brighton and Hove to be on the alert for counterfeit wine.
Their advice follows incidents during which they have seized cheap wine being passed off as more expensive brands.
They said that the labels were good imitations.
The scam only usually came to light, they said, when people tasted the wine and quickly realised that they were drinking cheap plonk rather than a leading brand.
The officers, from Brighton and Hove City Council, have been working with Sussex Police and Revenue and Customs on an investigation.
They have recently seized counterfeit wine from a number of independent off-licences in Brighton and Hove.
And, they said, the number of incidents appeared to be on the increase.
Inquiries are continuing to trace the source of the counterfeits and prosecutions are expected to follow.
The trading standards team also urged owners of licensed premises not to buy wines or spirits from an unofficial supplier.
They said that imitation wines and spirits were often poor quality and potentially hazardous to health.
Last year, for example, there were warnings about vodka being sold in East Sussex which contained dangerous levels of methanol.
The fakes are almost certainly illegal too, with no duty or VAT having been paid on them.
Trading standards officers would not say which off-licences and brands were involved as their investigation is still going on and decisions about whether to prosecute are being considered.
“Trading standards officers would not say which off-licences and brands were involved as their investigation is still going on and decisions about whether to prosecute are being considered.”
Lot of bloody use then ..
Quite agree.. How are we to know who’s ripping us off ..