From the Electronic Telegraph:

ISSUE 1524 Wednesday 28 July 1999

Wine lovers warned of bogus 'Bolly', By Matt Born

THOUSANDS of bottles of fake champagne are being sold to people stocking up for the Millennium celebrations.

Conmen have taken magnums of sparkling perry - fermented pear juice - and relabelled them as "Millennium Bollinger" champagne. The counterfeit champagne is being sold for £35 [approx. $48] and more, compared with almost £50 [approx. $75] for a magnum of genuine Bollinger. The original bottles of perry, meanwhile, cost £2.99. [approx. $4.50]

Trading Standards officers investigating the fraud said the problem appeared to be concentrated in the Midlands and the North. John Boodle, technical inspector of the Wine Standards Board, said that as well as targeting wine bars and pubs, the conmen seemed to have obtained wine club membership lists.

Antony Mallaby, chairman of Mentzendorff and Co, which has held an exclusive licence to import Bollinger since 1858, said: "Bollinger have not, and will not be, producing a Millennium cuvee." Wine traders said customers could spot a counterfeit as the bottles had almost flat bottoms. Bottles of genuine champagne have a deep indent at the base to place the thumb when pouring.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 28, 1999

Answers

This must be the big con the banking industry has been warning us about!

:)

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 28, 1999.

Oh. I see. Y2K is SERIOUS.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 28, 1999.