Yet another reason not to buy French-originated wine

[chuckles48]

Because what is on the label and what is in the bottle may well not be the same thing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100217/bs_afp/wineindustrydrinkfranceustrial

Comments

[brashley46]

Well, crap. But buying a French wine from Gallo, rather than from a French label? ::boggle::

Mind you I drink mostly Venetian Merlot from the terrafirme, or the Canadian equivalent from Niagara. Not expensive and goes well with beef.

[chuckles48]

Yeah, I was a bit surprised at that, too. But Gallo? They'll stoop to anything.

If you get a Trader Joes up there, try the 2 buck Chuck. It's actually pretty decent, and the pricing can't be beat.

[masgramondou]

I think this is exceptional and, more to the point, the French authorities cracked down hard on it because they are well aware of the harm that it could do to their reputation.

Of course the French aren't really used to the idea of putting th grape varietal on the bottle - they're getting better and the Languedoc is pretty much the best area in that regard - but it can often be a problem to figure out what grapes are used.

The other scandal that is brewing is regarding Rosé as some wine regions are proposing to make rosé by blending (crap) red and white wines instead of the proper method. I think this is going to get shot down too but its less clear cut and potentially more of a problem as Rosé wine is becoming increasingly popular.

[chuckles48]

Note that there have been other, similar scandals over the years. So this isn't the first time something like this has happened in France.

The Rose thing? Not surprised, honestly.

That being said... honestly, I've got access to lots of world-class wineries around here, and quite a bit of reasonably-priced stuff, too. And there's enough influx of out-of-area that there's always something new/different/etc.

But hell, 2 Buck Chuck is actually decent stuff.