Barely six months have gone by since a group of French cowboys got nabbed for flogging the equivalent of 18 million bottles of fake Pinot Noir to US. giant Gallo for their brand Red Bicyclette. Now, similar news has resurfaced after the company involved in one of Australia’s greatest wine deceptions has had its cards dealt by the authorities.

The Aussie wine company in question is now in liquidation and has been fined around A$350,000 (€245,000) for selling Chardonnay juice made with a heavy hand of sultana grape juice. The discovery was made back in 2003, with Hardy’s being one of the unfortunate victims.

The question is, would you really notice? Most of this stuff probably ended up in bag-in-a-box, or ‘goon’, as it is affectionately known by backpackers. As a former goon guzzling backpacker myself (we’ve all been there, right?), I never thought it tasted anything like Chardonnay anyway, and I wouldn’t have cared if it was half freshly pressed Jawa juice (watch Star Wars Episode IV), never mind sultana juice. At that time, I probably valued the alcohol content more.

Either way, it wasn’t good news for the aussie wine industry. It’s a frightening thought of how many suppliers and producers all over the world get up to this kind of thing every year and don’t get caught. Unfortunately, at the lower price end (and I’m not just speaking for the wine industry here) consumers will always be exposed to cut corners.

There’s a massive market for something that resembles wine. Something alcoholic and easy drinking. Nothing wrong with that of course, each to their own, but when you’re in the business of shifting massive volume at rock bottom prices, somebody somewhere is going to feel the squeeze and be pressured into taking the wrong action.

Not that sultana man, Andrew Hashim, should be excused for his actions of course. He was one of the key players in this scam, receiving a fine and costs amounting to over A$100,000. He can’t pay it though, because he’s bankrupt.

Picture sourced from an awesome clothing crowd down-under. Join the revolution at slapthegoon.com