Wine adulteration, which ranges from prohibited to harmful practices, is by no means a modern phenomenon, but can be traced back to ancient times. Even back then, attempts were made to "improve" the quality of wine by means of unauthorised additives and to feign a false identity through manipulations such as fraudulent labelling or blending with inferior wines. The most spectacular wine scandals of modern times are described below.
In the 1960s, Italian wines became popular, particularly in Germany and Austria, due to Italy becoming a popular holiday destination at the time, and millions of hectolitres were imported. These included the cheapest products from alleged brands such as Chianti (in the kitschy, bast-wrapped demijohns), Lambrusco and Valpolicella, whose grapes had never seen the growing regions concerned.
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