We already knew that
Chateau Lafite Rothschild was hot in China but apparently the Bordeaux is so popular that counterfeiters have been scavenging the empty bottles to refill them. The
Telegraph reports on the shadowy and lucrative world of China's bottle dealers. The article quotes one dealer who offers the equivalent of over $400 for a good
vintage bottle of Lafite Rothschild in top condition. His firm collected empties from bars and
restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing.
Alcohol forgeries have long been a problem in China with premium
spirits, such as Maotai being frequently faked. Ice
wine is also a
popular target for fraud. Wine dealers and fine restaurants are taking precautions, inspecting bottles careful for signs of tampering before buying but some older wines tend to be re-corked making unmasking the refilled bottles even more of a challenge.
Filed under: Wine
In China Selling Empty Bottles of Chateau Lafite Rotschild Is A Booming Business originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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