Fake Yellow Tail wine costs UK supermarket its license

A supermarket in Sutton Coldfield, UK, has been stripped of its license after 41 counterfeit bottles of wine from Australian producer Casella Brands were found on its premises.

The KVK Supermarket/Nisa Local store was investigated after a customer reported to Trading Standards that some bottles of Yellow Tail wine he purchased from the store didn’t taste the same as others from the brand.

Officers seized 41 bottles from the shop, including Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz varieties, which were confirmed as counterfeit by Casella.

Kuladevi Thavarasa, director of the company that owns the shop and licence holder, apologised at a meeting to review the shop’s license, but claimed staff had bought the fake alcohol in her absence, according to a BirminghamLive.com report.

According to Birmingham City Council, Thavarasa “made no attempt to get to the bottom of what had happened, which was surprising given that she had said that her staff had acted without her knowledge.”