Wine Label Swindlers

"If people who follow 'brands' and makers' namcs Uncw of half the swindles perpetrated wltfa labels they'd be astonished," said a celebrated English wine merchant to cxchange reporter. "Why, I know a man, a former engraver, who can forgO the brand of any wtne in existence. This is nis sole occupation, and working in league with him is a clique of rogues who buy up quantities of empty wine and champagne bottles irom hotels and restaurants. Some of this gang have been wine merchants' assistants and understand bottling, and they fill the bottles with a low priced but drinkable port, claret, champagne, etc, and affix cleverly forged labels of the most expensive brands, bearing tlie names of foreign growers. Not only are the bottles peculiar to each grower used but they even procure the proper gold and silver foil from France, and as to corks, they know where to find a cork cutter to the trade who will supply any shape and kind required. Seals are easily imltated by taking an impression and putting cobwebs on port wine bottles ie an old dodge. They plant these spurious wines at cortain restaurants and clubs, tne wine buyer 'standing in.' I know more than one high class restaurant where these imitations are constantly sold to people dining there as genuine brands. So perfect are the forged labels that a military officer actually paia these sharpere over $500 for some Madeira worth f 50 which they advertised as dating from the battle of Waterloo. A very well known nobleman, too, was victimized over some pretended wine to the tune of $1,000, and I could give you the name of a big firm of wine merchants swindled for nearly $15,000 (a few bottles of genuine wine being procured and opened í'ír the men to taste), and da.od not 'rosecute, for it would simply have fuined their business were it to be come known that they had hundreds of falsely labeled winee in t!heir cellars, some of which they had even resold to their customers."