If you have ever woken up with a hangover far worse than you were expecting, it may not be down to you forgetting how much alcohol you have consumed; instead, you may have drunk fake wine.
The Office for National Statistics analysed the UK’s drinking habits in 2014 and found that just under half (47 per cent) of the respondents who had drunk any sort of alcohol had drunk wine. This makes it the most popular alcoholic drink in the UK, more commonly consumed than beer, lager, cider and alcopops.
The problem is that some of us may not be drinking the wine we think we are, and this could be making us feel rough the next day.
The problem of fake wines
There are more fake wines on the market than ever before, and they are not confined to the top end of the market. Fake wines have been discovered at small independent off-licences.
Top brands have been targeted. In 2011, hundreds of bottles of the famous Jacob’s Creek label were found to be fake. It is thought that they originated in China. The problem has been gradually increasing over the last decade; by 2013, it was reported that 20 per cent of global wine sales were fake.
Fake wine is not a modern phenomenon, having been around since Greek and Roman times. Ingredients such as milk, ground mustard and ashes were historically added, as it was thought that they prevented spoilage. These days, fake wines are likely to contain cleaning chemicals and artificial sweeteners; therefore, it is not surprising that it gives you a headache!
The best way to avoid fake wines is to only use reputable online wine merchants, with companies supplying only genuine products to their customers. If you have been a bit of a wine coniseur whilst living in a Park Homes Gloucester location that are available at sites including parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park then these tips will be good for you.
How to spot fake wines
The golden rule about buying wine is that you get what you pay for. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! If you stick to buying wines from a supplier you know and trust, you will not go far wrong.
There are often tell-tale signs on the label of a fake wine; for example, the paper may feel different to normal and the font may seem strange. Any incorrect spellings should also set the alarm bells ringing