How Experts Like Denis Mackenzie Spot a Fake Wine Before it Hits Their Shelves
With anything authentic and popular, there will always be counterfeit producers looking to benefit from the hard work of others. Wine is an alcoholic beverage enjoyed by many around the world, but consuming counterfeit wine can have damaging effects on the individual. Law enforcement has been working tirelessly in efforts of eliminating the production of fake wines and their producers. To the naked eye or average person, it’s easy to miss the signs that clearly indicate your wine is fake. To avoid falling into the trap of fake wines, this article will outline the best ways to spot fake wines.
Research
It might sound too simple but one of the first steps to take when trying to spot fake wine is conducting a simple online search. If the wine is real and reputable, there will be existing information of the wine, producer and simple details. A quick search will let you know if the wine does indeed exist by using brand name, models and production dates. For example, a bottle with a label that says 1950, but knowledge or research proves it was established in 1960, is an obvious sign.
Analyze Label Aging
Great winery owners, like Denis Mackenzie, use high quality labels so analyzing the label is helpful in finding out if the wine is fake. Blue light is ideal in helping determine what types of materials were used to brighten the label’s paper. If label illuminates with various colors under a blue light or oxidizes inconsistently, it’s more than likely a fake. Many times, at-home inkjet printers are used to print labels, which typically leave different kinds of spots and is abnormal. There’s also a specific paper needed for the ink to print, which is easily stained by the ink and a great indicator for fake wine.
Wine Cork
Denis Mackenzie also understands the importance of branding and staining the wine cork as a form of verification. A bottle that has been laid on its side for long periods of time will create a deep stain almost reaching the top of the cork. If the cork seems to have been removed, vintage scraped off and replaced with a new number as the branding, it is likely a deceit. Individuals can look out for sediment that is still and doesn’t move, due to heating and baking to replace the usual natural aging over time.
Read the Small Print
Sometimes finding a fake wine doesn’t require so much detective work of fully analyzing for confirmation of suspicions. In different parts of the world, there are regulations and requirements of being transparent with ingredients and contents. Taking the time to read the small print on a bottle makes a difference in simply acquiring information on the quality. Real and high-quality wines typically utilize a plate press to print on their wine bottle labels. This ensures the color to be detached in a 3 color-screen procedure. Individuals wells versed in this are able to properly analyze and spot the differences with little to no problem.
Trustworthy Sources
One of the best ways to ensure and increase the chances of purchasing real wine is by making sure to make your purchases from a trustworthy source. It is always highly advised to only make wine purchases from licensed brokers because they have more to lose and are less likely to present counterfeit wine. Although, it is still possible to receive real wine from unlicensed brokers, licensed brokers are more trustworthy in offering the highest quality. Licensed brokers also have access to better and higher quality wines that unlicensed individuals don’t have access to. This requires the individual to think critically and abandon a situation that might seem too good to be true. Taking the time to conduct research and locate the most reputable businesses and wineries is worth avoiding counterfeit.
It is almost surprising to see the lengths businesses and individuals will extend to in falsifying and selling counterfeit wine. Luckily, there are various different avenues in differentiating between fake or counterfeit wine and the authentic thing. This can range from effectively analyzing wine bottle labels, to cork branding and staining and simple information research. There are even more advanced techniques utilized in finding counterfeit wines and producers as law enforcement looks to eliminate them. To avoid the deceit, the best way to guarantee real wine is by purchasing through a trusted and reputable licensed dealer.