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Setting the record straight: Pernod Ricard UK says fake wine reports are two years old

Published:  15 July, 2014

Pernod Ricard has issued a media statement refuting stories run by the Daily Mail, the Metro, The Independent, The Mirror and The Times in recent days that named Jacob's Creek as one of the wine brands that are on sale in some local off-licences that could be counterfeit and potentially harmful. 

Pernod Ricard has issued a media statement refuting stories run by the Daily Mail, the Metro, The Independent, The Mirror and The Times in recent days that named Jacob's Creek as one of the wine brands that are on sale in some local off-licences that could be counterfeit and potentially harmful.

Jacob's Creek counterfeit are no longer an issueJacob's Creek sets the record straightJacob's Creek issued a statement that recent media reports regarding counterfeit wine are no longer a 'live' issue and the brand had not found counterfeit Jacob's Creek in the UK since June 2012

The steatment reads: "Following recent factually incorrect media reports of current issues around counterfeit Jacob's Creek, Pernod Ricard UK would like to clarify that this is no longer a live issue with no significant seizures since June 2012.

"Of the wine that was seized over two years ago, analysis by an independent Forensic Science Laboratory showed that the liquid was not Jacob's Creek wine, it was poor quality and did NOT contain any ingredients that could be harmful to health, as some national media have reported."

The company said any retailer or consumer concerned they may have been offered or have a counterfeit product, should immediately contact the Trading Standards Institute via its helpline on +44 (0)845 404 0506 or contact Pernod Ricard UK customer services team on 0800 376 5550.

The issue of counterfeit alcohol being sold in local stores has intensified in recent years, with counterfeit vodka a particular problem.

Channel 5 recently broadcast an undercover investigation into criminal gangs that are behind counterfeit spirits and found a factory in east London that was producing 7,000 fake bottles of Smirnoff a day.

Paul Connolly, the journalist behind the investigation said: "Given that the factory is producing one such a large scle, it's almost certain they are being sold in supermarkets as well as smaller off-licences."

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