Rosé Tinted Glasses

Over the past two years, ten million bottles of Spanish rosé were sold under a French label and are now under investigation by the French fraud unit. These bottles brought in between €2,870,000 – €3,920,000 additional euros than they otherwise would have, had they been sold as the Spanish rosé that they were.

The French—true to form—take their wines seriously, and fraudulently selling French wine can put a culprit back €300,000, or behind bars for up to two years. Spanish and French winemakers are known for their competitive rivalry, which has devolved in recent years into the guerre des vins.

Cheap Spanish production has elbowed some French makers out of wholesale French distribution, causing French growers to be up in arms over the competition. Just two years ago, French vintners stopped trucks carrying Spanish wine in their tracks and dumped liters of the Spanish wine out into the street in a sticky, stained protest.

This growing season has brought historically bad news as extreme weather has hurt vineyard harvests across Europe. With justice served, maybe each side can finally sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice glass of vino.