How to turn water (?) into wine; or how to turn 67 million bottles into 160 million

Perhaps they hoped no one would notice (although it is rather ‘bulky’). It appears that Sieur d’Arques in Limoux in the south of France has sold 160 million bottles of pinot noir to E&J Gallo to go into their very popular brand Red Bicyclette. The problem is that, according to official statistics, there are only 67 million bottles produced in the region. So a hawk eyed (was that really needed) inspector started to ask questions. (Apparently, Gallo had not thought much about the odd situation.) Today, both French and American customs and regulation authorities are very interested in the matter. Both fines and jail sentences seem to be in line. Tom Fiorina at The Wine Route tells the story both amusingly and in detail on his blog: ”Red Bicyclette scandal: there’s un pigeon born every day” (and don’t miss the illustration!)