Red Bicyclette PN

[Kcwhippet]

Not that many folks here have or would be drinking this juice, but I found an interesting item yesterday. It seems the folks Gallo has had making their Languedoc PN for the Red Bicyclette label have been adding significant amounts of Merlot and Syrah to boost production - to the tune of 18 million bottles. It appears French officials became suspicious when the producers claimed more hectoliters for this label's PN than the entire region produces. Some serious six figure fines in Euros were imposed.

[Drew]

Actually the fines were miniscule compared to the large profits made by the French.

[The judge handed out suspended jail sentences ranging from one month to six months for the most prominent wine trader and ordered all the defendants to pay fines.

The fines ranged from 1,500 euros ($2,050; £1,300) to the top figure of 180,000 euros ($247,050; £156,500) for Sieur d'Arques. The judge said that the accused together made seven million euros,$9,515,100, in profits from the scam.]

Drew

[winophite]

Tried a bottle of this recently; 2008 12.5%, $10.00 +/- 1 at Krogers. I wasn't expecting much. Good thing, pretty weak effort. I still have another.

[hotwine]

Set 'er up on a fence-post, 'phite, and blaze away. Sure-fire cure for the curse of plonk.

[Thomas]

Gallo company claims not to have known that more PN came from the Languedoc to fill Red B. than there is volume of PN produced in the Languedoc!