Gallo to face class action suit over fake Pinot

E&J Gallo is being sued in the US in the wake of the fake Pinot Noir scandal, which saw the Californian wine giant import $7 million of fake Pinot Noir from a group of 12 French wine producers.

The company was recently named as a victim of the fraud at the hands of the Languedoc-Roussillon-based culprits – who executed a large-scale scam to sell Merlot and Syrah labelled as Pinot Noir – but law firm Kingsley & Kingsley has now brought a class action suit on behalf of Californian wine consumers against E&J Gallo, alleging unfair competition, fraud and false advertising.

The suit has also been brought against two of the guilty suppliers – Sieur d’Arques and the negociant Ducasse.

Constellation Brands was also named in the original case as having bought some of the adulterated Pinot Noir, but its name does not appear in the latest court action.

The suit accuses Gallo of being fully aware that the contents of its Red Bicyclette wine was not Pinot Noir, but the law firm is not thought to have any evidence that this was the case.

The firm, which pledges to support the “little guy” against big businesses, said: “This fraud was only revealed by happenstance and the hard work of the French authorities.”

Alan Lodge, 01.03.2010