Pinot noir passing-off controversy

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The Pinot noir passing-off controversy arose in 2010 within the wine industry over the passing-off by French distributors of Merlot and Syrah wine as Pinot noir in the United States. The controversy involved the mislabeling of wines from vintners in southern France which were falsely sold to American distributors E & J Gallo Winery as Pinot noir. The mislabeling resulted in a French court convicting twelve people for fraud.

Contents

Background

Pinot noir wine is considered particularly difficult to make well. [1] American law requires that wine sold as being from a single varietal must be at least 75 percent composed of the grape in question, [2] and within the European Union, the requirement is a minimum of 85 percent. Accordingly, many American winemakers add less expensive but more robust Merlot and Syrah to improve the mainstream appeal of inexpensive Pinot noir. [1] California wine brands often sell Pinot noir from France, Italy, Chile, and Germany, because it is less expensive to produce there than locally. [1] As a result of the blending and importation practices, wine sold as Pinot noir often does not have the characteristic taste of the grape, and can easily be confused by consumers and experts for other varietals. [1] [3]

Languedoc has been known for centuries for producing simpler and cheaper wine, which has sometimes been passed off by wine merchants as more expensive wine from Bordeaux or Burgundy. The French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system was created in the 1930s to prevent the practice of mislabeling or diluting expensive wines with cheaper ones. [4]

The fraud

The American producer E&J Gallo received a shipment of bulk wine sufficient to fill 18 million bottles, sold by wholesaler Sieur d'Arques as Pinot noir from the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France, which was actually a mix of Merlot and Syrah. [1] [4] Sieur d'Arques in turn had bought the wine from Ducasse Wine Merchants, a wine broker, which had bought less expensive Merlot and Syrah from at least eight agricultural cooperatives in the Carcassonne area. [2] According to The Guardian, French authorities believe that Claude Courset, owner and general manager of Ducasse Wine Merchants, earned approximately 7 million euros from the scam to pass off "cheap plonk" as Pinot noir from January 2006 through March 2008. [5] Gallo had sold the wine under the 2006 vintage of its Red Bicyclette label, at an approximately $8 retail price per bottle, as being 85 percent Pinot noir. [2] Fake Pinot noir was also sold to Constellation Brands, [1] [6] and possibly other American brands. [7]

Prosecution

The scheme was discovered during an audit of Ducasse Wine Merchants. French investigators were suspicious that the firm was buying Pinot noir wine at 40 percent less than the going rate, in quantities that exceeded the historical production level of the region. [5]

On February 17, 2010, 12 people from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France were convicted by a court in Carcassonne in connection with the fraud, [2] including the head of Ducasse, Claude Courset (described as the "kingpin" of the scheme), executives at Sieur d'Arques, and several cooperatives. [5]

Aftermath

The scandal, described as the largest in French winemaking in recent years, was a public relations "nightmare" [4] that hurt the credibility of the Red Bicyclette brand, and of French wine production generally, at least in the United States. [5] Pinot noir had gained some recognition and popularity among American consumers, in large part due to a conceit in the 2004 independent film Sideways that it was superior to Merlot wine. As a result, consumers had been willing to pay more for the supposedly superior grape. [5] The British press used the occasion to scoff at American consumers for their supposed lack of sophistication in wine. [2] In March, 2010, a wine writer for the San Francisco Chronicle coined the name "Pinotgate" to describe the scandal. [3] [8] [9]

Gallo denied any prior knowledge of the fraud and was not accused of complicity. He has been accused by some of not sufficiently overseeing the quality and authenticity of wine purchased from suppliers. [1] [10] A class-action lawsuit was filed against Gallo in connection with selling the mislabeled bottles. [9]

Related Research Articles

Pinot noir Red wine grape variety

Pinot noir is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for pine and black. The word pine alludes to the grape variety having tightly clustered, pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.

Rosé Type of wine with some color from grape skins

A rosé is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. The pink color can range from a pale "onionskin" orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grape varieties used and winemaking techniques. Usually, the wine is labelled rosé in French, Portuguese, and English-speaking countries, rosado in Spanish, or rosato in Italian.

French wine Alcoholic beverage made from grapes grown in France

French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and American wine-producing regions. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BC, with many of France's regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines were during the post war period.

Australian wine Wine industry of Australia

The Australian wine industry is one of the world's largest exporters of wine, with approximately 800 million out of the 1.2 to 1.3 billion litres produced annually exported to overseas markets. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through production, employment, export, and tourism.

New Zealand wine Wine produced in New Zealand

New Zealand wine is produced in several of its distinct winegrowing regions. As an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has a largely maritime climate, although its elongated geography produces considerable regional variation from north to south. Like many other New World wines, New Zealand wine is usually produced and labelled as single varietal wines, or if blended, winemakers list the varietal components on the label. New Zealand is best known for its Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and more recently its dense, concentrated Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Martinborough and Central Otago.

Red Bicyclette French wine

Red Bicyclette is a French wine produced by the Sieur d'Arques cooperative and distributed in the United States by the E. & J. Gallo Winery. Its distinctive label appeals to consumers who prefer branded wines, labelled with the variety of grape from which they are made, rather than by the exact location. The following grape varieties are sold under the Red Bicyclette label: chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, rosé and syrah.

Languedoc-Roussillon wine Classification of wine produced in southern France

Languedoc-Roussillon wine, including the vin de pays labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc, is produced in southern France. While "Languedoc" can refer to a specific historic region of France and Northern Catalonia, usage since the 20th century has primarily referred to the northern part of the Languedoc-Roussillon région of France, an area which spans the Mediterranean coastline from the French border with Spain to the region of Provence. The area has around 700,000 acres (2,800 km2) under vines and is the single biggest wine-producing region in the world, being responsible for more than a third of France's total wine production. In 2001, the region produced more wine than the United States.

Brancott Estate

Brancott Estate is the brand adopted since 2010 by Pernod Ricard for New Zealand's largest wine producer, formerly Montana Wines, which now operates as the New Zealand division of Pernod Ricard Winemakers. The name comes from its Brancott winery in Blenheim, and was chosen to reduce confusion in the United States market with wines from the state of Montana.

Bien Nacido Vineyards

Bien Nacido Vineyards is cool-climate vineyard on the central coast of California. Located midway up the Santa Maria Valley, it is known for growing Burgundian and Rhone varieties of wine grapes. Bien Nacido has the distinction of being one of the major viticultural nurseries in the state for certified, varietal budwood. Most of the vines were originally from stock grown by the University of California at Davis. While the average increase block in California is less than 10 acres (40,000 m2), Bien Nacido Vineyards has several hundred acres of certified Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a number of other varieties. Much of the Chardonnay planted in California in the last twenty years began as Bien Nacido Vineyards cuttings.

Arbor Mist is the brand name of an alcoholic beverage which blends wines such as Merlot, Zinfandel and Chardonnay with fruit flavourings and high fructose corn syrup. Its slogan is "Great Tasting Wine with a Splash of Fruit." Arbor Mist has a lower alcohol content than most wines, and is usually cheaper than other similar alcoholic beverages. It is made by the Arbor Mist Winery in Canandaigua, New York, and is packaged by E&J Gallo Winery.

Limoux wine

Limoux wine is produced around the city of Limoux in Languedoc in southwestern France. Limoux wine is produced under four Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations: Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette méthode ancestrale, Crémant de Limoux and Limoux, the first three of which are sparkling wines and dominate the production around Limoux. The main grape of the region is the Mauzac, locally known as Blanquette, followed by Chardonnay and Chenin blanc. In 2005, the Limoux AOC was created to include red wine production consisting of mostly Merlot. Wine historians believe that the world's first sparkling wine was produced in this region in 1531, by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire.

Columbia Winery Winery in Washington state, US

Columbia Winery is a Washington state winery located in Woodinville, Washington. The winery is currently owned by E & J Gallo Winery. The winery was founded in 1962 as Associated Vinters by several former professors at the University of Washington. In 1979, the winery hired David Lake as head winemaker and under his stewardship, Columbia Winery was the first winery in the state of the Washington to produce varietal wines of Cabernet Franc, Pinot gris and Syrah. In 1983, the winery released wines under its current name. In 1988, the winery moved to its current location in Woodinville wine country. Due to failing health, David Lake retired from Columbia in 2006. In 2006, Kerry Norton (formerly of Covey Run Winery was hired as Director of Winemaking. In June 2008, Columbia Winery were sold by Constellation Brands to newly formed Ascentia Wine Estates, which in turn sold Columbia to Gallo in 2012.

Duckhorn Vineyards

Duckhorn Portfolio Inc., trading as Duckhorn Vineyards, is an American wine company. It produces varietal labelled and blended red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines from California and Washington State. The main winery is outside St. Helena, California.

Russian River Valley AVA American Viticultural Area in California

The Russian River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. Centered on the Russian River, the Russian River Valley AVA accounts for about one-sixth of the total planted vineyard acreage in Sonoma County. The appellation was granted AVA status in 1983 and enlarged in 2005. The area generally lies between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa in the south, and Forestville and Healdsburg in the north. The Russian River Valley has a characteristically cool climate, heavily affected by fog generated by the valley's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. The area is known for its success with cool climate varietals, notably Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

California wine Wine made from grapes grown in California, United States

California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted Vitis vinifera vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of the Father Junípero Serra who planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Algerian wine

Algerian wine is wine made in Algeria. While not a significant force on the world's wine market today, Algeria has played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's viticultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under Algeria's rule by the Roman empire. Just prior to the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), Algerian wine accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total international wine trade. With as much land under vine as the countries of Germany and South Africa, Algeria continues to maintain a wine industry with over 70 wineries in operation.

International variety Variety of grape

An international variety is a grape variety that is widely planted in most of the major wine producing regions and has widespread appeal and consumer recognition. These are grapes that are highly likely to appear on wine labels as varietal wines and are often considered benchmarks for emerging wine industries. There is some criticism that the popularity of so-called international varieties comes at the price of a region's indigenous varieties. The majority of declared international varieties are French in origin, though in recent years the popularity of Spanish and Italian varietals has seen an increase in worldwide plantings and these may also be considered "international varieties".

Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery is the third largest exporter of bottled wine in Chile. It was created in 1993 as a subsidiary of Concha y Toro Winery.

Sieur d'Arques is a wine producer cooperative located in Limoux in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France. It produces the Red Bicyclette brand of wine, marketed in the United States by E & J Gallo Winery.

Villa Melnik Winery

Villa Melnik is a family-owned winery located near the village of Harsovo, about 7 km south of Melnik, Bulgaria.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jon Bonné (2010-02-19). "Pointing Fingers in Pinotgate". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dave McIntyre (2010-02-18). "Red Bicyclette isn't what you thought it was". Washington Post.
  3. 1 2 Jon Bonné (2010-03-07). "'Pinotgate' controversy gives grape a bad name". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. 1 2 3 Dave McIntyre (2010-03-10). "This bicycle took consumers for a ride". Washington Post.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lizzy Davies (2010-02-17). "Ce n'est pas Pinot noir: E&J Gallo conned into buying cheap plonk from French vineyards". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Plot Thickens in 'Pinot Gate' Scandal". Food Service World. 2010-03-01.
  7. ↑ Dave McIntyre (2010-02-26). "Pinot-gate may involve more brands". Washington Post.
  8. ↑ Anne-Lise Fernandez. "Faux scoop, faux pinot et faux départ". French Morning.
  9. 1 2 Christian Aniort (2010-03-06). "Faux-Pinot: les avocats américains demandent l'équivalent en dollars de 500 000 bouteilles". Ladépêche.
  10. ↑ "Pinotgate – vinfusket avslöjat igen" (in Swedish). 2010-03-07.
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