Pernod Ricard refutes fake Jacob’s Creek claims

Drinks giant Pernod Ricard has taken issue with media reports linking its Jacob’s Creek wine brand with counterfeit seizures in the UK.

The company has refuted an article in the Daily Mail claiming that counterfeit wine brands, including Pernod’s well-known label, could be on sale in one in five UK shops. It was suggested in the article that the wines could pose serious health risks to consumers, including blindness, seizures and death.

In response, Pernod UK’s commercial director for wines, Chris Ellis, said in a statement: "This is no longer a live issue, with no significant seizures since June 2012. While the wine was poor quality, it "did not contain any ingredients that could be harmful to health," he said.

Jacob’s Creek is a key brand for the company. It ranks as the fourth top Australian wine worldwide, the top in Asia and the third top in Europe and the Pacific region. It is the most imported wine in India and so is a leading premium wine in emerging markets.

According to a Pernod Ricard statement, a spelling error on the back label of earlier examples of fake Jacob’s Creek bottles, which incorrectly says ‘Wine of Austrlia’, can be an indicator that the wine is fake.