beyondbrics

Red wine from the inland Chinese province of Hebei is probably not the first choice of most revellers this festive season but now there is a new reason to avoid it.

In the latest of a long string of Chinese food safety scandals, six people have been detained after they allegedly chemically altered red wine and falsely labelled it a superior vintage. Five wineries in Changli province were shut for forging labels of more famous Chinese brands and of making “red wine” out of nothing but water and chemicals, according to state media reports.

Industry experts quoted by state media said it was common for Chinese-made wines to contain only about 20 per cent fermented grape juice with the rest made up with sugar, water and chemicals like artificial colouring and flavouring.

Previous reports have suggested that a common industry practice is to import junk white wine from other countries in bulk and add colouring and flavouring to pass it off as red wine, which is considered more prestigious in China.

The chemicals added to the “wine” can cause “headaches and irregularities in the rhythm of the heart as well as cancer”, Huang Weidong, a leading expert on the wine industry from the China Alcoholic Drinks Industry Association was quoted as saying by state media.

Forgery is widespread in the industry with a thriving second-hand market for genuine empty bottles of famous international brands.