17th August, 2011 by Rupert Millar
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A sleight of hand
Although not a scandal as such, the 18th and 19th centuries were full of practices guaranteed to earn a strong rebuke if carried out in this day and age.
Perhaps the most well known practice was the blending of Bordeaux with stronger wines from Spain, the Rhône or the Languedoc to improve the strength and colour of the wines, particularly if bound for the UK.
Not that this blending was completely disallowed but it was only meant to be to a certain point. How often that point was crossed without anyone knowing is another matter.
Throughout several centuries it was common practice for winemakers to blend in wines from “the high country”, with those from Hermitage in the Rhône particularly prized.
Ironically it was….
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