Merchant accused of wine-mixing fraud

A wine merchant accused of fraudulently mixing century-old vintages with modern wines claimed last week that it was common for French châteaux to "freshen up" elderly bottles.

Belgian wine trader Khaled Rouabah was arrested and extradited to France, where he was placed under investigation for allegedly mixing 1900 Château Margaux and Château Lafite-Rothschild with inferior wines.

In an interview given to a French wine magazine, Rouabah said: "Yes, I freshened up the wines with 1995 Margaux and Lafite, but this procedure is known and current in all the great châteaux."

The Château Margaux vineyard alerted the authorities when it noticed in the sales catalogue that the wines were advertised as having been "reconditioned" with the estate's permission.

A spokesman for Châteaux Margaux said: "We never give anyone permission to tamper with our wines."