Smartphone scan can beat wine fraudsters

Making sure a glass of wine is everything it promises on the label was once a relatively simple process - hold it against the light, tilt and observe the shade, swirl a little and give it a good sniff.

But with the ever-increasing global consumption of wine now attracting the attention of fraudsters, wine drinkers are soon just as likely to be advised to whip out their smartphones.

A quick scan can give the consumer a direct link to the supplier's website to verify the label, trace the wine's journey from vineyard to glass and provide information about the winery.

Fake wine and spirits can sour the drinks market, but new technology and international co-operation are now enabling producers to outsmart fraudsters. Castel, the largest producer of French wine, uses the technology on 13 million bottles for the Chinese market as well on exports to other emerging markets such as Vietnam, where counterfeiting is most prevalent.

"The Chinese are asking for a lot of information and for reassurance regarding the origin of the product," said Franck Crouzet, a spokesman for Castel.

But Chinese crooks are by no means the only perpetrators of wine scams. "China is the most notorious, but the problem is worldwide," said Christophe Chateau, spokesman for the Bordeaux Wine Council.