Investigation｜The business of "high imitation" brand-name fake wine: the taste of real wine is imitation, the packaging is the most important
“I’ll get whatever the boss needs for the sample. Going through all three big oceans is the same as doing test papers.” Sun Yang (pseudonym) updated a post on WeChat Moments. The picture shows a floor full of three rows of empty wine bottles. Photo.
The outer packaging of the bottle is affixed with the logos of the three foreign wine brands Hennessy, Martell, and Rémy Martin, which are the "three oceans" in his mouth.
Sun Yang is in the business of processing fake liquor.
He claimed to have purchased packaging materials, anti-counterfeiting codes and low-end raw wine from elsewhere, and then blended and filled the wine in his own warehouse to sell "high imitation" products.
In order to attract customers, he actively posted in a number of "Baidu Tieba" communities, saying that "three foreign sources of first-hand goods, quality and speed ensure that you are satisfied".
From late October to mid-November 2021, The Paper's unannounced investigation found that the "high imitation wine" business has formed a complete industrial chain, from recycled wine bottles and packaging materials manufacturing, to blending and filling, and external distribution.
Among the samples given to reporters by the counterfeiters, the outer packaging of the imitation brand-name foreign wines and liquors are almost the same as the genuine ones. The genuine products have all the elements and characteristics of the fakes, and it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish them from the appearance.
"High imitation foreign wine": taste with real wine
"Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell, Moutai, etc. series, high-quality products, first-hand sources, beautiful prices..." On Baidu Post Bar, communities such as "Buy Bar", "Liquor Wholesale Bar" and "Foreign Bar" spread a lot of sales. Advertising posts for well-known foreign wines and liquors.
The Paper added a number of WeChat accounts of "liquor shop owners" who claimed to have "first-hand sources" on the grounds of "looking for wholesale sources of liquor stores".
"We're high imitation, don't you know?" When a reporter asked about the wholesale price, Zhang Qifeng (a pseudonym) who claimed to be the owner of a beverage processing plant bluntly reminded him.
He claimed to have rented a warehouse in Guangzhou, mainly for the processing of Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin wines.
Zhang Qifeng claimed that the taste of the fake wine blended by his own factory is very little different from that of the original product.
In order to ensure a taste similar to the genuine product, the wines of its "high imitation" fake wines are generally blended with low-end wines from the same manufacturer.
According to the different price of imitation wine, the proportion of various wines used in blending is different.
Yue Hong (pseudonym) claims to be a "beverage processor" from Guangzhou, Guangdong, and has a wine processing warehouse.
"Generally (the quality of the drinks) is better for stalls (i.e. wine shops), and almost for bars, KTVs, and night clubs (i.e. night clubs)." Yue Hong said that a 700ml bottle of Hennessy XO "high imitation" fake wine The price he sold to the stall was 450 yuan, and a bit of real wine would be added to the wine; the price he sold to the night market was 320 yuan, and no real wine would be added. "If we use it, we will lose money."
But he also said that the price of "high imitation" drinks will not be too low, "otherwise the quality of the drinks will not be guaranteed."
Yue Hong sold a 700ml bottle of "Hennessy XO" to reporters at a price of 400 yuan.
On an e-commerce platform "Hennessy Hennessy Self-operated Flagship Store", The Paper noted that a 700ml bottle of Hennessy XO is priced at 1,650 yuan.
After payment, the reporter received a courier from Huangpu District, Guangzhou, which contained the "Hennessy Cognac" whose outer packaging box, wine bottle and real wine were almost the same in appearance. Scan the QR code on the bottle to jump to a fake You can follow Hennessy’s official WeChat account through the homepage created by the author.
In order to obtain greater profits, processors are often more willing to process middle and high-end wines.
Yue Hong said that before, the live delivery team often called to find him to cooperate, but they couldn't achieve it.
The other party wants to "bring goods" wines less than 100 yuan. He does not process such "cheap wines". "The little anchor has a poor ability to bring goods. We make good wines, and he can't bring them."
Wine processing is only one link in the chain of fake wine production and sales.
Sun Yang, another wine processor, said that his wine bottles, packaging, sealing, anti-counterfeiting codes and wine raw materials are all purchased from others, and he is only responsible for the final "assembly."
Yue Hong also stated that his wine bottles, the logos on the wine bottles, and the outer packaging boxes are genuine products recovered from the outside, "it can't be seen (true or false)."
Sun Yang and reporters shared screenshots of his chat with a buyer who claimed to be from Shenzhen.
During the chat, the other party asked for 10 Martell VS and 5 Hennessy VS.
Sun Yang said that because these two wines are cheaper, “it’s normally sold to night markets for more than 100 (1 bottle). Others don’t want to do it, and they may not get it.” Therefore, the bottle is not easy to get, so he can only adjust it from the outside. The goods are changed by replacing the labels with other wine bottles to earn a little processing fee.
Sun Yang said that in addition to the "three big oceans" (Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin), other foreign wines can be made, but he does not want to do it.
"High imitation liquor": "Fake Moutai can be added with real anti-counterfeiting chips"
In a price list sent to reporters by Yue Hong, in addition to 35 foreign wines of different brands and specifications, it also includes 10 liquors, mainly concentrated in Moutai, Wuliangye, Guojiao, Jiannanchun and other series.
Yue Hong said that the blending method of fake liquor is similar to that of foreign wine, and it is also mixed with low-grade liquor from the same manufacturer.
Taking Feitian Moutai as an example, it is mainly mixed with Maotai Prince Liquor and Moutai Yingbin Liquor. The taste is basically similar to the authentic Feitian Moutai.
The reporter asked whether the nuances of the taste would be discovered. Yue Hong said, "No, (if) it is so easy to find out, we can't do it."
Like the prevention of counterfeit foreign wines, packaging is the most important part of the counterfeiting process.
"The outer packaging is the most important thing. Even if you don't drink it, you can see it at a glance."
Sun Yang said that a 500ml bottle of Feitian Moutai is priced at 660 yuan and 1100 yuan.
The bottles and packaging boxes of these two wines are all reclaimed genuine products, and the wines are also the same. Except for occasional replacement of partially damaged wine bottle labels, the biggest difference lies in the authenticity of the caps.
Sun Yang said that for a bottle of 1,100 yuan a bottle of fake Moutai, it is more expensive to use a genuine capping headgear.
The "real head" was recovered from elsewhere, "a 550-600 yuan, this one won't make a dime."
The anti-counterfeiting chips on the "real head" and "fake head" can be scanned with a mobile phone and linked to the official website for information query.
Sun Yang said that the subtle difference lies in the lighter color of the high imitation caps and the tighter spacing of the fonts, but it is difficult for ordinary people to detect, "except for what we do, no one will know under normal circumstances."
He told reporters that if someone questioned the authenticity of the wine, he could explain to the other party that it was a defect in the factory of Moutai.
The reporter bought a 500ml bottle of "Fake Head" Flying Moutai from Sun Yang at a price of 660 yuan.
Sun Yang sent this bottle of Feitian Moutai from Baiyun District, Guangzhou via SF Express. It has an outer packaging box and a wine bottle that looks almost the same as the original product, small wine glasses, color boxes, red rubber caps, red ribbons, back labels, organic codes, etc. The authenticity has all the signs.
There is even an anti-counterfeiting manual with "methods for authenticating" written in the box.
The Paper News reporter noticed that in an e-commerce platform "Kweichow Moutai Jingdong Self-operated Store", a 500ml bottle of 53-degree Feitian Moutai was priced at 1,499 yuan, indicating that it was in "out of stock" status. You need to make an appointment within the specified time period. Qualify for purchase.
Sun Yang said that the strict inspection of liquor in the country is a bit more risky.
He heard that there was a problem with selling liquor in a certain city in Guangdong last year. He "caught a few people in."
Yue Hong also said that some of his wine shop customers would put real wine in the store and store fake wine in the warehouse.
If there is a customer who needs fake wine, it will be pulled out from the warehouse and delivered directly to the door.
He claims to have been in this business for 13 years and has not been found out yet.
"Guerrilla-style" Production under Strict Punishment
The fake wine purchased by the reporter from two different wine processors were all delivered by express delivery from Guangzhou.
Sun Yang said that in Guangdong, the production and sale of counterfeit wines are in charge of all links from production to circulation, forming a complete industrial chain.
He claimed to go to Guangzhou with his family a few years ago, and after studying for a few years, he has been doing processing.
He called this a "family industry", and now he and his brother are mainly responsible for processing.
Sun Yang said that before, he mainly did processing for liquor processors. Some processors claimed to have processing plants, but in fact they still ordered from him.
He claimed that his small circle shipped at least a few thousand pieces of wine each month.
The commission processing is paid on a piece-by-piece basis, and the profit is low. He wants to process and sell it by himself in the future, so as to get more profit.
So he started to "run the stalls" offline and post online at the same time, looking for "favored" liquor store owners to cooperate.
While the illegal production and sale of fake wines obtains high profits, it is also accompanied by high risks.
The reporter bought fake wine from the two processors mentioned above, and the other said that they were "not in stock."
They dare not put the materials in the warehouse, they need to take the materials from outside to make them, and under normal circumstances, they can ship the materials the next day.
Sun Yang said, "It's a little tighter than before." If you encounter a temporary police check or a stranger is walking around, you need to pay attention. The delivery may be delayed by one day.
Yue Hong also acted cautiously when communicating with reporters.
He claimed that he did not dare to speak loudly when he was in the warehouse and was unable to communicate with reporters on the phone and could only communicate through text.
In order to avoid inspection, warehouses usually start work at night.
Yue Hong said that if it is not a rush order, the hired workers usually start at 11 o'clock in the evening and work until 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning. If they are in a hurry, they will arrange a little more work in the afternoon.
He said that he has warehouses in Guangzhou and Foshan, so that once someone comes to check in one warehouse, he will transfer to another warehouse for processing to ensure that the customer's beverage supply is not affected.
In fact, the issue of illegal production and sales of fake alcohol has always been the focus of attention in the field of food safety.
As early as 2007, the State Food and Drug Administration issued a notice requesting local food and drug administrations to work with relevant departments to strengthen law enforcement, and resolutely stop and crack down on illegal activities such as the production and sale of counterfeit alcohol.
In recent years, cases of illegal production and sale of counterfeit wine are not uncommon.
As food and drug counterfeiting and sales methods have become increasingly complex and hidden, sales have gradually shifted to online channels. In 2019, the Ministry of Public Security established a food and drug crime investigation bureau to continue to organize and carry out the "Kunlun" operation to combat food and drug environmental crimes, and to eliminate infringement and counterfeiting. , In particular, criminal activities such as the manufacture and sale of fakes that are related to health and safety are the focus of the crackdown.
Public security agencies in many places have concentrated on investigating and prosecuting criminal cases such as the manufacture and sale of counterfeit alcohol to maintain food safety.
Zhao Liangshan, a senior partner of Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm and a well-known public interest lawyer, believes that the producer has adulterated or adulterated the wine, used fake as real, shoddy, or substandard wine as qualified wine, or sold by sellers Such alcoholic beverages that reach a certain amount are considered illegal and criminal acts.
If it does not constitute a crime, administrative penalties shall be imposed; if it constitutes a crime, the criminal responsibility shall be investigated.
Zhao Liangshan further stated that if the amount produced or sold by a producer or seller reaches the starting point of legal punishment, it can be investigated in accordance with the provisions of Article 140 and Article 149 of the Criminal Law on the crime of producing and selling counterfeit and shoddy products. Criminal liability of the producer or seller.
If it does not reach the statutory threshold of penalties, producers or sellers can be imposed in accordance with the relevant provisions of Article 49 and Article 50 of the "Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China" and the provisions of the Ministry of Commerce's "Measures for the Administration of Alcohol Circulation" Administrative penalties.
At the same time, Zhao Liangshan pointed out that if a producer or seller causes harm to consumers due to the production or sale of counterfeit and inferior wine, according to Article 148 of the Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China, the producer or seller will return Consumers need to pay compensation 10 times the price of the wine.
Intern Shan Ping surging journalist Qin Shan