US wine drinkers file lawsuit over fake Pinot Noir

[catgirl]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A California lawyer has filed a class action lawsuit against French wine producers and a US importer over the sale of millions of bottles of wine falsely passed off as Pinot Noir.
"A class action complaint has been filed seeking to represent all California consumers who purchased falsely labeled wine," said Brian Levine, an attorney with California law firm Kingsley and Kingsley.
The complaint accuses the defendants of "false advertising, unfair business practices, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, (and)... unjust enrichment."

-snip-

The filing comes after a French court handed down suspended jail terms and hefty fines to 12 people for selling 18 million bottles (135,334 hectoliters) of wine presented as Pinot Noir that was in fact made from far cheaper grape varieties.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100304/bs_afp/wineindustr...

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This wine was sold under E & J Gallo's popular "Red Bicyclette" Pinot Noir label and Constellation Brands.

[Historic NY]

1. Whats in your swill?....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. I stopped drinking French wines after Chernobyl in 86 and I loved them :(

oh and any wines and cheeses from other countries in the fallout region

[depakid]

8. Hint:

Australian wines are finer, and less expensive (this pisses the French off to no end) though if you want to buy American, even the proprietors at the cellar doors down under will sing the praises of Oregon Pinot.

[xultar]

9. +1

[jimshoes]

3. How many wine "connoisseurs" could tell they

were drinking low grade crud all that time?

[catgirl]

4. These are crappy brands already

All the parties involved could care less about their customers.

[bitchkitty]

5. LOL - I wonder the same. n/t

[UndertheOcean]

6. Always buy the most expensive brand that is still affordable to you , that is my motto

unless you drink wine everyday , it is a worthwhile investment .

[Earth_First]

7. They are suing over E&J Gallo?

That stuff is swill when it is bonafide.

[naaman fletcher]

10. What are the damages?

Nobody knew.

[BuddhaGirl]

11. ugh!

who buys Gallo, anyway??

[davsand]

12. I don't know too many true wine drinkers that buy any Gallo products.

Other than paying too much for mislabeled wine, I really have a difficult time seeing too much in the way of damages there. I'd assume the class action settlement amounts to AT MOST a few bucks to anyone that can prove they bought that wine.

Next question, how MANY of you keep wine receipts that would allow you to prove that claim????






Laura

[catgirl]

13. A lot of people buy cheap wine

and the economy is forcing some to lower their standards.

For most class action suits, you just have to fill out an online form.. You don't need receipts.
It takes forever to get your check. Remember the class action lawsuit involving the record
industry overcharging for CDs? I got $11.00 about two years after I signed on! He he. The
amount really depends on how many people sign on. In that case, it was supposed to be
$20.00 a person, but word spread. Hence the measly $11.00. And guess what I did with it!
I bought a bottle of cheapish wine.

[Historic NY]

14. the lawyers make the money....you get the crumbs.

[pundaint]

15. People drink more Gallo wine than from any other company. When I started with wine 35 years ago, I

was taught that the purpose of wine tasting was to be able to identify a good wine and have money left over to enjoy the rest of life. I've hosted two wine tastings where a $15 bottle of Frogs Leap beat out a half-dozen bottles costing over $60. Alas I can no longer find Frogs Leap for that bargain price.

I have enjoyed a number of Gallo wines over the years as well as the way way way way infrequent Ch. Petrus. One needs to pay good money for a broad wine education, but after that, there is some real enjoyment to be had with affordable brands carefully chosen. And the beauty of it is that the health benefits are the same for the $8 bottle as the $30 one. Alsatian anti-freeze excluded.