Jun 18, 2012
I was really quite saddened to read about this allegation of fraud against a 180 year old Burgundy Negotiant House.
With such a proud history, this company now faces a huge battle to regain it's brand placing in the market place, and makes the consumer as well as other winemakers wonder what is actually going on within some of these companies.
Wine descriptions on labels, well...... that is open to personal taste and interpretation, but we should all be able to rely on the legalities on wine labels to be accurate.
In this case;
"Police in Dijon detained the directors this week following an 18-month probe that has also involved the National Fraud Office (DGCCRF). Several computers, and dozens of files, have been seized from the firm's Nuits-Saint-Georges premises.
Labouré-Roi, owned by Cottin Freres since 1974, is the largest supplier of Burgundy wines to airlines, including British Airways, Air France and United Arab Emirates. It has supplied major retailers, deriving 50% of net sales from exports, and works with hundreds of Burgundy growers.
Public Prosecutor Eric Lallement said during a press conference held in Dijon last night (13 June) that the fraud office was first alerted due to a disparity in figures between what the company was actually bottling and what it should have been, given the yields declared at harvest time. ‘It was as if the company was managing to vinify 100% of its musts, which is impossible,’ he said. "
Click here to read more
