SOME of the best known French wine is fighting back with new anti fraud measures to protect their wines.
Bordeaux first growth Chateau Margaux will incorporate an anti-fraud seal on all bottles leaving the chateau from this week.
The strip – known as a Prooftag – runs between the capsule and the bottle, and has a reference number and a unique pattern, both of which can be tracked on Chateau Margaux’s website.
Breaking the seal destroys the capsule, ensuring it cannot be used again according to a report through Decanter. This move comes in addition to existing anti-fraud measures employed by the estate, such as a laser-etched bottle, a vintage-specific bottle mould, individually numbered and bar coded bottles and cases, and special ink used on the labels and foil.
“We want the right tools in place now to be able to authenticate the bottles in 30 years time,” director Paul Pontallier told Decanter.com. “Once they leave the cellar, it is too late.”
Concerns about fake wines and traceability have come into focus in recent years, following several reports of forged first growth wines circulating within mainland China.
The Prooftag system will apply across Chateau Margaux, Pavillon Rouge and Pavillon Blanc. It will cover the entire production of 2009, 2010 and future vintages, and any older vintages that are sold from the property.
