Beijing, China – December 7, 2017
In an unusual twist of fake wine, Chinese Officials for the Administration of Industry and Commerce paid a visit to a company called Shanghi Haotuo International Trading Company Ltd, located in the Fengtai District of Beijing. They were acting on a complaint by the luxury conglomerate, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH, the parent company of Moët, and Hennessy. The subject of the complaint and raid were wines that were labeled as Côtes du Rhône, with a back label that stating that it was produced by the Moët Hennessy using its trademarked Chinese name.
The first tip off that this wine was not authentic was that Moët Hennessy does not produce any wine labeled as Côtes du Rhône, or any wine from the Rhône valley. The front labels of the wine in question does not mention Moët Hennessy but rather uses a Chinese translation of a company called, France Henris Co Ltd. An officer at Industry and Commerce, Zhang Peng explained the con. The words France Henris Co Ltd. When pronounced in Chinese have a similar phonetic sound as Moët Hennessy, thus confusing the customer, but playing on the reputation of Moët Hennessy. The back label however, stated that it was produced by Moët Hennessy.
A bottle displayed by Officials of the Administration of Industry and Commerce had a front label with a Chinese name that translated to, “Wei Da Mu Special Reserve”, with a back label that stated it was by Moët Hennessy. This was noted by officials as being the treasure of the shop with a retail price tag of $15,000 USD. In keeping with the purported brand of Côtes du Rhône, the extravagantly priced bottle was labelled as 2007 Côtes du Rhône Sable.
Hennessey and Moet are both luxury brands that are subsidiaries of LVMH. The House of Hennessey and the House of Moët and Chandon are 2 of the 24 Houses that comprise The Luxury Wines and Spirits Brands under the umbrella of the Paris based conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. The House of Moët and Chandon traces a 270-year history with over 1000 hectares of vineyards and a market share in over 150 Countries around the world.
The House of Hennessey lists it creation date as 1765, served by 6 generations of the same family as its Master Blenders. Selling over 70 Million Bottles annually throughout the world, The House of Hennessey inventories 350,000 casks in their cellars.
The House of Hennessey issued a statement in relation to the seizure of fake luxury wine brands seized at Shanghi Haotuo International Trading Company Ltd, which states that they have no relationship with this company, nor does this company have any licensing agreement with the House of Hennessey or the House of Moët.
The mission of SafeProof.org is to raise awareness for Fake or Counterfeit alcohol and to keep liquor safe Search liquor enforcement using our map to keep you and your drinks safe. Report any illicit alcohol activity to us using our secure form or by calling 833-377-5040 To get the latest Alcohol Alerts and violation updates in your area Sign-up for SafeProof.org emails and follow us on Twitter @SafeProof #DrinkSafe
