Casella Family Brands has responded to claims around the recent discovery of counterfeit bottles of its flagship Yellow Tail brand in the UK.
An episode of the Wine Blast podcast, hosted by masters of wine Susie Barrie & Peter Richards referenced the matter earlier this month. In the episode, Barrie & Richards claimed up to 100,000 cases of the brand have entered circulation from a “well-organised, international criminal gang working out of a wine production facility in Moldova”.
Following the release of the episode, the MD of Casella’s operations in Europe, Simon Lawson, said the number of counterfeit units of Yellow Tail found in the UK was “minimal” and “confined to a very small number of independent convenience stores”.
“The large number of cases mentioned in the Wine Blast podcast referred to an issue in 2019, a small part of which made it to the UK,” he said. “This has since been largely resolved. We continue to work closely with [the UK’s] Trading Standards to minimise the risk of counterfeit Yellow Tail wines reaching consumers.”
Lawson also described the company’s supply chain in the country as “extremely robust”.
“We take pride in our ability to trace our wines directly back to our winery in Yenda, Australia, guaranteeing the highest quality products,” he added.
“If consumers suspect they have encountered a counterfeit product, we encourage them to report it by emailing us at [email protected]. We will assist in verifying the authenticity of the Yellow Tail wine purchased.”
In March, Casella unveiled a packaging refresh for Yellow Tail, designed to appeal to younger LDA consumers.
