Wine adulteration

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Wine adulteration (colloquially referred to as "pimping") is the deliberate and incorrect manipulation of wine production in violation of wine legislation, carried out with deceptive or fraudulent intent. The aim is to "improve" the flavour or quality of the wine with prohibited additives and thus falsely pretend a certain or better quality, to dilute the quantities of high-quality wines by mixing them with simple, cheaply produced bulk wine or simply with water, and to market wines under prestigious names or vintages by means of false labelling using genuine labels and/or bottles.

Introduction of wine laws

Throughout history, there have always been different and often changing views on what exactly constitutes wine adulteration. What is now considered to be slavishness may have been a widespread practice just a few decades ago. Even today, some techniques are country-specific and regulated differently, particularly in Europe and the New World. Three significant examples are the regulations regarding fortification, acidification and sweetening. The introduction of strict wine laws in many wine-growing countries at the end of the 19th century had a positive effect. They had already existed in some wine-growing regions before that. However, it was of course not possible to completely prevent tampering.

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Wine adulteration

Introduction of wine laws

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