A cafe in Paris, France, is known to offer cheap wines that posed as an expensive alternative, research reveals. Cafes and bistros in the French capital are not only replacing high-end wines with cheaper alternatives, but also cheating customers, including visitors to the city, by charging for quality rates. The survey found that wines such as Premium Chablis, which sell for around 9 euros (over 10 pounds) per glass, are being traded for wines like Sauvignon, which costs around 5 euros (less than 6 pounds) per glass.
The survey was conducted by the French newspaper Le Parisien, and included two wine sommeliers to detect when the wine was switched. The two wine experts posed as English-speaking tourists when visiting French restaurants, cafes and bistros in the city for their publications. Workers in the hospitality industry in Paris told the newspaper that the ploy is widespread, especially in urban districts with many tourists.
One waitress with over 30 years of experience in the restaurant told Le Parisien:
“The sommelier knows the difference, but tourists don't have any ideas. I sometimes put the remaining wine in a bottle for happy hour.”
Another waiter said he was given an order to offer cheaper wine so that he wouldn't open or ruin more expensive bottles. He said, “The boss told me if the most expensive bottles were dropping too quickly. The customer only discovered the trick once. He was a sommelier.”
One of the experts in the research, Master Wine Merchant Marina Juberty, quickly discovered that the glass 1.50 euro Sansar had been replaced by a cheap sauvignon worth 5.60 euros, which is also listed on the menu at the venue she visited. The waiter brought her another glass of the wrong wine after she complained.
She said: “It's a shame for the customers, and for the wine name, for the winemakers, and for the owners of restaurants who do a good job. We are in France, a wine home. We have to give our consumers a hint.”
Experts told the French newspaper that customers should request that they pour a glass of wine from their previous bottles. This is mandatory under Paris law.
Alsace Winemaker's Jérôme Bauer is the leader of wine producers for the National Union of AOC (Appellate Contrast) and “we can disappoint the wine as we, the producers, order the rebound of our customers, order the Cote du Rhone, and the customers who serve Bordeaux wine are probably offering Bordeaux wine.”
