Fake wine breaks Aussie rules

Counterfeit bottles of Australian wine Jacob's Creek have been seized following recent spot checks in premises

COUNTERFEIT bottles of best-selling Australian wine Jacob's Creek have been seized from two stores in the region.

Officers from West Berkshire and Wokingham Trading Standards Service carried out spot checks in premises following fake bottles of the wine being found in Reading, London, Brighton and Cardiff.

Enquiries into the source are continuing, although it is believed to originate in China.

Although the content is not harmful, the taste is considered to be of a poor standard. Other giveaways include the misspelling of ‘Australia' with the middle ‘a' missing, along with other spelling mistakes.

The manager at West Berkshire and Wokingham Trading Standards, Sean Murphy, urged anyone who had inadvertently bought the wine to contact him.

“This is another example of counterfeiting of a major brand,” he said.

“These actions damage consumer confidence and provide unfair and illegal competition for legitimate producers and retailers. There seems to be evidence to show that counterfeit product is circulating in the area."

Anyone in West Berkshire or Wokingham who has concerns about counterfeit products should contact the Trading Standards Service on 01635 519930 or email tsadvice@westberks.gov.uk