logo
Paris cafes caught pouring cheap wine after customers pay for posh plonk

Paris cafes caught pouring cheap wine after customers pay for posh plonk

Independent29-04-2025

Cafes in tourist areas of Paris have been caught covertly pouring cheap wine in place of the premium glasses paid for by diners.
An investigation by Le Parisien newspaper found that wine fraud is ripe in the French capital, with tourists often being the victims.
The outlet claims cafes are replacing fancy wines with budget alternatives. They discovered the fraud when sending two sommeliers to taste out the deception while pretending to be tourists.
Of the wine ordered by the glass, investigators said that a pour of chablis or sancerre at around €9 (£7.65) was substituted for a sauvignon, the cheapest wine on the menu at around €5 (£4.25).
One of the undercover sommeliers, wine merchant Marina Giuberti, found a €7.50 sancerre had been replaced by a cheaper sauvignon priced at €5.60, but she was charged the higher rate.
After complaining, the waiter brought her another glass of the wrong wine.
Giuberti said: 'It's a pity for the customer and for the image of the wine appellation, for the winemaker and for the restaurant owners who do a good job.'
Staff at brasseries and cafes in Paris confirmed that the practice is often encouraged by bosses looking to maximise their profits.
Sarah, a waitress with 30 years of experience working in restaurants, told Le Parisien: 'I might put leftover wine in a single bottle for happy hour, or replace Bardolino with Chianti, which is much cheaper and tastes completely different.'
The 'repotting' technique involves switching out the wine a customer has ordered with the contents of a more budget bottle.
A former employee of a Montmartre brasserie, Tristan, added that staff were 'told off by the owner if the most expensive bottle went down too quickly', and only once did a sommelier customer discover the ruse.
According to the hospitality worker, aside from French locals, 'all other customers were getting ripped off'.
He said: 'When I saw American tourists arriving on the terrace, I knew they were going to be had.'
Experts told Le Parisien that, by law, customers can insist on having wine poured from the bottle in front of them with the label visible.
Jérôme Bauer, Alsace winemaker and leader of the National Confederation of AOC (appellation contrôlée), told the outlet: 'Cheating the customer rebounds on us, the producers, because a customer who has ordered a Côte du Rhône and gets served a Bordeaux wine will probably be disappointed and can turn away from that wine in the future.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Global fast food brand looks set to move into Stirling's newest drive thru
Global fast food brand looks set to move into Stirling's newest drive thru

Daily Record

time25 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

Global fast food brand looks set to move into Stirling's newest drive thru

ChicKing is heralded as the first fully Halal international quick service restaurant - and is now hoping to open a drive thru branch in Springkerse. A new takeaway drive thru could be heading to Stirling. Foodfixx (Stirling) Ltd holds the franchise to operate the new food restaurant brand - ChicKing. ‌ ChicKing is the first fully Halal international quick service restaurant (QSR) brand. ‌ Planning permission for the drive thru buildings, on land next to and east of 15 Borrowmeadow Road at Springkerse, was granted in December 2024. Now, however, an advertisement application submitted to Stirling Council planners shows that the unit, which has been built on the corner of Munro Road, hopes to accommodate the ChicKing brand. In documents submitted with the application, agents said: 'There are over 230 ChicKing outlets in over 30 countries globally. 'Since securing the master franchise for ChicKing in July 2024, Foodfixx Ltd has demonstrated remarkable commercial growth. It has expanded from 9 to 17 locations across England and Ireland and is moving into Scotland with this store in Stirling. 'Each new store opening creates eight-plus new jobs. The ChicKing website boasts: 'Passionately conceptualised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the first Chicking® outlet was established in the year 2000, and since then, our brand has grown to become extremely popular in 35+ countries with more than 300+ outlets. ‌ 'This impressive growth was achieved by understanding what families prefer. We are also a big favorite amongst individuals who are looking for a tasty alternative to formulaic fast food. 'Chicking® is proud to be one of the first fully Halal international quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands. We serve fresh, great-tasting food, using only the finest quality herbs and spices, carefully selected from around the world, to deliver exciting flavors in a modern setting. ‌ 'We currently serve more than 20,00,000 totally devoted, utterly convinced customers per month. It seems our loyal and rapidly multiplying patrons appreciate the fact that we offer an exciting and varied menu inspired by taste cultures from around the world: authentic American, mouthwatering Mexican, inspiring Indian, and irresistible Italian. 'Our innovative creations cater to a much wider audience than those traditionally targeted by most QSRs, but it is the warmth and service that brings families back for more and more. 'All food at ChicKing is made fresh to order, only fresh and not frozen chicken is used.'

The £13.4 billion reality Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney face after Wrexham promotion
The £13.4 billion reality Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney face after Wrexham promotion

North Wales Live

timean hour ago

  • North Wales Live

The £13.4 billion reality Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney face after Wrexham promotion

Wrexham's Hollywood owners are bracing themselves for a new financial landscape as the club gears up to compete in the Championship next season. This upcoming campaign will be the first time in 43 years that the Red Dragons have been in the second tier, having previously spent four seasons in the old Second Division between 1978 and 1982. Much has shifted since then, with an influx of cash due to lucrative telly deals and parachute payments available for freshly-relegated Premier League sides. Many club owners are also quite affluent in their own right, with one part-owner boasting a staggering net worth of £13.4billion. Wrexham's co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are not exactly strapped for cash either. The two A-listers have an estimated combined net worth of around £295m ($400m) courtesy of their acting income and business investments. However, even their wealth seems modest when compared to the Championship's top earners. As the North Wales team prepares for life in the second tier, WalesOnline examines how Reynolds and McElhenney's wealth compares to that of their rival owners. QPR are often highlighted at the top end of the scale in terms of their owners' combined net worth, with their main shareholders being Ruben Gnanalingam, Richard Reilly and Amit Bhatia. Bhatia is the son in law and a representative of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, who alone is said to be worth £13.4bn, according to Forbes. Not too far behind are American investment fund Gamechanger 20 Ltd, who own newly-relegated Ipswich, with reports valuing the firm at a staggering £10.8bn. Another well-backed side are Leicester, who also recently dropped out of the Premier League, with the Srivaddhanaprabha family worth approximately £2.7bn. Meanwhile, Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown holds a wealth of £2.3bn, and Stoke City custodian John Coates is said to have £2.2bn. At the bottom end of the table in terms of their net worth are Watford's Gino Pozzo (£93m), Millwall's James Berylson (£110m) and Hull City's Acun Ilicali (£147m). The combined net worth of Reynolds and McElhenney would therefore place Wrexham in a lower mid-table position in the Championship. However, they do have an ace up their sleeves in the form of the Allyn family from New York, who came on board as minority owners of the club in October. For more than a century, the family were the owners of US medical device manufacturing company Welch Allyn Inc. That was until September 2015 when the firm was sold to Hill-Rom in a deal reported to be worth just under £1.5bn at current rates . The Allyns have since turned their focus to investing in private and public markets, and Wrexham have received several large cash injections since their arrival. It's hope their involvement will help Reynolds and McElhenney achieve their dream of taking the club into the Premier League. Deadpool star Reynolds restated that goal in the wake of Wrexham's promotion from League One, which was confirmed after a 3-0 home win over Charlton in April. Posting on social media, the Canadian wrote: "We've been with Wrexham for what seems like the blink of an eye, but so much has happened. "I remember the first press conference, we were asked what our goals were... and I think Rob jumped in with, 'The Premier League'. People laughed. They had every right to. It seemed insane... But we weren't kidding." The co-owners have certainly taken steps to shore up Wrexham's financial position in recent times and prudently took out an insurance policy to cover the cost of promotion bonuses ahead of the 2024/25 season. However, climbing into the Championship will be the biggest challenge they have faced yet during their whirlwind journey.

Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat
Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat

Daily Record

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Drunk couple decapitate and stab dog to death to 'avenge' dead cat

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT: The couple 'brutally' executed their Argentinian mastiff after drinking heavily, a court in Auxerre, France heard A couple planning to start an animal breeding business drunkenly used a chainsaw to behead their Mastiff before the woman stabbed it to "avenge" their cat. The French couple were jailed after police found the dog stabbed to death when they were called out to reports of domestic violence at the couple's home in Levis last May. The woman told the court in Auxerre she stabbed the Argentinian mastiff after finding her partner's cat dead, who she says the dog had killed, Le Parisien reported. ‌ The pair, who remain unnamed, said they had wanted to euthanize the "dangerous" dog, with the man saying "decapitation was the only way he could think of" in ending his dog's life. The man told the court that both he and his partner had been drinking heavily - a litre of vodka and two beers each - before the horrific 20-minute assault with a chainsaw unfolded. ‌ The man was being treated for drug and alcohol use and admitted to having "finished off the dog to avenge (his) cat". Several other cats and dogs lived in the home as the couple were planning to start a breeding business, the news outlet added. The prosecution denounced the "barbaric act" as "unheard of brutality" and a "first for France" while the defendants' lawyer pleaded that they were under the influence of alcohol and one had a "personality disorder", reports Mirror US. The man, 38, was handed 18 months in prison and the woman, 31, was sentenced to two years. It comes after an adorable dog found wandering the streets after she was a victim of a "heinous act of cruelty" has "America's saddest face," say social media users. Lavender was discovered in April with wounds to her face and ears, injuries so severe one of her ears had to be intentionally cut off at a rescue centre. The pup also had fractured teeth and was also severely underweight. But Mohawk Hudson Humane Society (MHHS), a charity in Menands, New York, has taken care of Lavender, and, when she is well enough, wants to help find her the perfect forever home. It has branded her last owner's acts as "heinous" and "cruel" as law enforcement suspect Lavender was a victim of animal cruelty. Authorities in Menands, which is near the city of Albany, have released fresh information - and upsetting photographs - of the brown dog in an effort to establish exact details about her history. The release was shared on social media this week, where dog lovers have expressed their anger at the previous owner - and adoration for the cute pooch. In the photographs, it is apparent Lavender had suffered injuries at the hands of the "heinous" owner. One Facebook user said: "What a sweet little girl. So sad she has been abused and still looks so sweet!!! Fingers crossed the evil person who did this is punished. Poor baby."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store